Former France defender dies after 40 years in coma

FORMER France defender Jean-Pierre Adams has died at the age of 73, almost 40 years after falling into a coma following a medical error, his former clubs, Paris St Germain and Nimes, said on Monday.

In 1982, Adams was administered a near-fatal dose of anaesthetic ahead of a routine knee operation, which caused brain damage.

The Dakar-born Adams had won 22 caps for Les Bleus in the 1970s, forming with Marius Tresor what was known as ‘the Black Guard’.

He played for Nimes from 1970-73 and for PSG from 1977-79 after joining from Nice.

Since the accident, Adams has been cared for by his wife, Bernadette. □