Nice star Beka Beka declared safe by club after ‘threatening to jump off bridge’

French club OGC Nice have declared their player Alexis Beka Beka is now safe and ‘being taken care of’ after a worrying incident unfolded on Friday concerning his welfare. Reports in France had suggested the youngster was identified as a man threatening to jump off the Magnan Bridge in Nice. Later, in a club statement, the Ligue 1 outfit confirmed they were supporting their player after the situation was defused.

According to local news outlet Nice Matin, the footballler had stopped on the hard shoulder of the A8 motorway and threatened to jump off of the Magnan Bridge, which is approximately 100 metres high. The player is believed to have been struggling to cope after recently breaking up with his partner.

Firefighters and armed services were sent to the scene to assist Beka Beka as they tried to escort him off the bridge. Police were also positioned nearby and attempt to communicate with the youngster to encourage him to move away from the edge. 

Nice also sent a psychologist to the A8 as well to try and talk down the player, with a ‘crisis’ meeting taking place. But the club have now confirmed after the ordeal that their player is now safe and receiving medical care.

In a brief statement released by Nice on Friday afternoon, club president Jean-Pierre Rivere spoke of his relief after revealing Beka Beka was rescued and now safe within the club’s care.

“Above all, we are relieved that everything ended well today for Alexis. He was taken care of,” the OGC Nice supremo said.

“We will continue to respect medical confidentiality and we ask everyone to do the same and respect their privacy. We are in his support as well as that of the entire club.”

While the incident unfolded, Nice decided to cancel their press conference, which was scheduled for Friday afternoon ahead of their match against Brest on Sunday. The club were also due to open their training to the media but members of the press were asked to leave the premises, although the squad continued with their preparations behind closed doors.

Beka Beka is yet to feature for Nice in Ligue 1 this season but he was part of the squad for their 1-0 win over AS Monaco on Tuesday, having been left on the bench as an unused substitute.

He joined the club in a £10million transfer from Lokomotiv Moscow in June 2022 and made 22 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring his first goal against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

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