Sol Bamba: Cardiff City defender undergoing cancer treatment

Championship club Cardiff City have revealed Sol Bamba has started chemotherapy after he was confirmed to be suffering from cancer.

The Ivory Coast international has been with the Bluebirds since the summer of 2016 after leaving Leeds United.

Bamba helped Cardiff gain promotion to the Premier League in 2018 and featured prominently during their campaign in the top flight.

The defender, however, suffered a ligament injury in March 2019 which ruled him out for the remainder of the season and could not help the side as they were relegated to the Championship.

The 35-year-old captained the club on a number of times and has made 117 appearances, scoring 10 goals across all competitions.

In the current campaign, the centre-back has played six times for Neil Harris’s men and has previously spoken of his target to help the club return to the Premier League.

Cardiff have confirmed that Bamba has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and has started treatment

“We are saddened to inform supporters that Sol Bamba has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,” according to a statement from the club website.

“With the close support of the club's medical team, Sol has immediately started a course of chemotherapy treatment.⁣

“Universally admired by teammates, staff and supporters in the Welsh capital, Sol has begun his battle in typically positive spirits and will continue to be an integral part of the Bluebirds family.

“During treatment, Sol will support his teammates at matches and our younger players within the Academy, with whom he will continue his coaching development.⁣

“All future updates on Sol’s progress will be provided only via official Club channels. While we request privacy for him and his family at this time, messages of support to be passed on to Sol may be sent to club@cardiffcityfc.co.uk."

Besides playing for Cardiff, the defender also featured for Paris Saint-Germain, Dunfermline Athletic, Hibernian, Leicester City, Trabzonspor and Palermo.

Bamba has 46 caps for Ivory Coast and was part of the West African side that finished as runner-up at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.