Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral was held in Ghana on the same day as his Manchester United and England ceremony in England.
The event took place on Monday in Tessano, a suburb of the country’s capital Accra, and saw fans turn out to perform funeral rites for Charlton in an outdoor area decorated with photos of the 1966 World Cup winner.
Supporters at the event were dressed in funeral attire with touches of United red, while there were songs, musical performances and speeches from the event organisers.
The funeral – more than 4,000 miles away from Charlton’s procession through Manchester which was watched by thousands of fans – was spearheaded by a group known as the Ghana Supporters Association, with its leader, Abraham Boakie, particularly keen to pay tribute to the 86-year-old. who passed away on October 21.
Boakye is also known as “One Man Supporter” and shares with him Sikka Sport that his surname had been given to him by the legend of the Three Lions.
Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral was held in Accra on the same day as Man United’s funeral in Manchester.
Mourners gathered to pay tribute to the 1966 World Cup winner and celebrated his life with music and speeches
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In 1995, Boakye was the only fan to travel to watch the Ghana youth team at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Ecuador, and was singled out by Charlton for commentary.
“I was the only Ghana fan during Ghana’s match against Brazil which had about five thousand fans in attendance,” Boakye told UTV. “But we were able to win the match and claim the title it brought to Ghana.
“This man was on the BBC and he said ‘this lone ranger, one person who supports a whole nation.’ When I came back to Ghana, the media had reported on “One Man Supporter in Town” and I have kept (the name) ever since. It was based on this that I built the National Supporters’ Association.”
Boakye shared that he wanted to show his “appreciation” in the wake of Charlton’s death.
He later added that he had extended invitations for the event to the “Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Sports”, but that neither institution had sent representatives.
In videos of the event, several supporters were seen moved to tears by the funeral rites as they remembered the fallen star.
In Manchester, luminaries who attended Charlton’s funeral included Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Lineker, Prince William and former Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
Before arriving at Manchester Cathedral for their service, Charlton’s funeral procession first called at Old Trafford, where thousands of supporters had gathered to pay their respects, applauding the team as they passed.
Charlton (pictured left with Pele in 1995) is said to have given his nickname to event founder Abraham Boakye
4,000 miles away in Manchester on Monday, Charlton was laid to rest after a ceremony at Manchester Cathedral
Thousands of supporters turned out to follow the route as the team made their way through Old Trafford
Sir Alex Ferguson was among the mourners and shared that Charlton was one of his key supporters while managing Manchester United.
Due to international commitments, only four of Man United’s current players – Tom Heaton, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans – were able to attend the service, but several of the club’s former players, including Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Alex Stepney, Wes Brown, Wayne Rooney and Bryan Robson represented the Red Devils in church.
After the service, Ferguson shared details of the “somber” atmosphere and praised the tributes to Charlton, including one from his grandson.
“It’s not easy to get up there and talk,” Ferguson added. “The speakers did a great job.”
“He was a fantastic man. I’m here (at) United because of Bobby Charlton.
“The day I came, he supported me 100 percent, all the way. He was completely behind me and everything we tried to do with the youth.’