‘He will forever be the pride of Brest’ – tributes pour in following death of Eric Roy

‘He will forever be the pride of Brest’ – tributes pour in following death of Eric Roy Stade Brestois head coach Eric Roy passed away at 58, his family announced in a statement on Wednesday. After a decade-long break from management, Roy joined Les Ty-Zéfs in 2023. Despite operating on a shoestring budget, he led Brest to the 2024-2025 Champions League campaign after an exceptional Ligue 1 season, in which Brest finished third. This achievement secured him the Ligue 1 Manager of the Season award in 2024. His family revealed that he had been battling pancreatic cancer for three-and-a-half years. His illness had been kept under wraps throughout his time at Brest. Since news of his passing, tributes have been rolling in.  France manager Didier Deschamps said the following:  “With the tragic passing of Eric Roy, French football has lost a very competent manager and a very endearing personality. His results with Stade Brestois and notably his qualification for the Champions League highlighted his great knowledge of the game and of his players. It was with great pleasure that I handed him, two years ago, the prize for Best Manager in Ligue 1 at the UNFP Awards […] he fought against an illness with determination, which commands respect. On a personal level, I spent time with Eric and learnt to like him on and off the pitch. I will retain the memory of a deeply human person. To his wife, his children, and all of those who loved him, I address my condolences.” Deschamps’ assistant,  Guy Stéphan,  added:  “I am profoundly saddened by Eric’s death. I had the pleasure of managing him at Olympique Lyonnais for two years. He was a great professional, very conscientious. We stayed in contact and I always enjoyed seeing him again. He will leave a big hole at Stade Brestois, where his great success reminded us of the competence of French managers. I am thinking about his family.” The Mayor of Brest,  Stéphane Roudaut  said:  “Brest has lost the mastermind of its greatest hours. Eric Roy will forever be the pride of Brest, the one who took Stade Brestois on an historic journey into the Champions League, which allowed the who region to dream.” Vincent Labrune,  the President of the LFP, added:  “French football today loses one of its most respected, loved, and authentic characters. Eric was one of those who carried out his profession with complete passion and a rare integrity. An emblematic player, he reinvented himself into a manager, recognised by his peers, his players, and all of those who had the opportunity to work alongside him.” To his relatives, his close ones, his family, friends and the whole community of Stade Brestois fans, GFFN express their deepest condolences. GFFN | Luke Entwistle