Sly Tetteh's Death Throws Football Into Profound Shock
Expressionless faces, people so shell-shocked that they were left in pensive mood, once in a while a painful shriek from a corner as well as people weeping uncontrollably, were the atmosphere at the family house of the late Sly Tetteh as hundreds last Saturday and yesterday converged to pay their last respects to the great influential figure figure who suddenly passed away last Saturday.
There was no single dry eye as almost all the stakeholders in Ghana football joined the bereaved family to go through the muslim custom before the Liberty Professional founder and President, and the man credited with the making of several Ghanaian football stars, Sly Tetteh, aged 54, was buried according to his muslim belief.
News of the death of Sly Tetteh broke last Saturday and like wild fire spread within minutes, sending shockwaves among the football fratenity. Members of the Black Stars who were travelling to England for today’s friendly against Brazil could not hold back their tears as they called on the family to express their condolences before leaving.
Asamoah Gyan, Derek Boateng, Sulley Ali Muntari all products of Liberty Professionals were in a pitiful state as they all struggled to hold back the tears.
Togolese international, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor who was in town to watch the Ghana-Swaziland Nations Cup qualifier last Friday and who over the years has forged a close tie with Alhaji Tetteh was also dumbfounded as he called on the family.
Yesterday was a more somber mood as people reflected on the influence and legacy of the former Sekondi Hasaacas player However, it was really an emotional scene last Saturday as the motorcade that led the body conveyed from Cape Coast to Accra arrived.
Sly Tetteh was part of the Liberty Professionals Oldies who had gone to Cape Coast to play their counterparts of Dwarfs in celebration of this year’s Oguaa Fetu Afahye as has been their regular exercise. Ghana Football Association president, Kwesi Nyantakyi and his entire emergency executive team went to Cape Coast to bring the body back. They were joined by other Executive Committee members to inform the family about the tragedy and present the body to them.
Tetteh’s influence went beyond the shores and borders of Ghana as he ran academies in Togo, Kenya and Benin and had forged strong links with such European clubs as France’s Lyon and Rennes, Italy’s Udinese and where most of his progidies began their European careers. He was a member of the Organising Committee of the African Futsal Championship and played a pivotal role by providing technical assistance to the GFA
According to his friend at the scene and sports development director at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Charles Aryeh,the late Liberty Professionals founder was playing his usual lively game when he slowly slumped onto the turf.
All attempts to revive him proved futile and was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead a few minutes after arrival. Tetteh was in the Sekondi Hasaacas team that won the West African Football Union Cup in 1982.