Former PSG player Jean-Pierre Adams dies after 39 years in a coma

Former France and Paris Saint-Germain defender Jean-Pierre Adams has died aged 73 after spending 39 years in a coma.

Adams, who appeared 22 times for France, was left in a coma from the age of 34 after undergoing what should have been a routine knee operation. He never woke from surgery, anaesthetic-related errors by hospital staff in Lyon led to his brain being starved of oxygen and causing him to slip into a coma. He died at the Nimes University Hospital on Monday.

Adams' former clubs pay tribute

Tributes have followed from his former clubs Nimes, Nice and PSG, as they all pay respects to a pioneer who paved the way for French-African footballers. Nimes, who Adams made 84 appearances for, expressed their "most sincere condolences to his loved ones and his family", and Nice promised a tribute before their next home game against Monaco on 19 September. PSG, too, released a statement echoing similar sentiments, adding that Adams' "joie de vivre, charisma and experience commanded respect".

The Senegal-born footballer returned home to Nimes the year after the botched operation and was cared for by his wife Bernadette up to his passing.