A funeral for Sir Bobby Charlton was held in Ghana on the same day the Manchester United and England icon was laid to rest during his ceremony in England.
The event took place on Monday in Tesano, a suburb of the country’s capital Accra, and fans turned out to perform funeral rites for Charlton at an outdoor venue decorated with photos of the 1966 World Cup winner.
Supporters of the event were dressed in funeral attire with United Red accents, and there were songs sung, musical performances and speeches given by event organizers.
The funeral – more than 4,000 miles away from Charlton’s procession through Manchester, watched by thousands of fans – was led by a group known as the Ghana Supporters Union, headed by Abraham Boakye, who was particularly keen to pay tribute to the 86-year-old, who died on October 21.
Boakye is also known as ‘One Man Supporter’ and is shared with Sikka Sports that his nickname was given to him by the legend of the Three Lions.
A funeral ceremony for Sir Bobby Charlton was held in Accra on the same day as the Man United icon’s service 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 who traveled to see the Ghana youth team perform at the U17 FIFA World Cup in Ecuador, and was appointed by Charlton to provide commentary.
“I was the only Ghanaian supporter during Ghana’s match against Brazil, where about five thousand supporters were present,” Boakye told UTV. “But we were able to win the match and claim the title that was brought to Ghana.
‘This guy was on the BBC and he said, ‘This lone ranger; one person supporting an entire nation.’ When I came back to Ghana, the media had reported on “One Man Supporter in Town” and I have stuck with (the name) ever since. I built the National Supporters’ Association on that basis.’
Boakye said he wanted to show his ‘appreciation’ after Charlton’s death.
He later added that he had extended invitations to the event to “the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Sports,” but neither institution had sent a representative.
Video footage of the event showed some supporters moved to tears by the funeral rites as they remembered the fallen star.
In Manchester, celebrities who attended Charlton’s funeral included Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Lineker, Prince William and former Premier League boss Richard Scudamore.
Before arriving at Manchester Cathedral for their service, Charlton’s funeral cortege first surrounded Old Trafford, where thousands of supporters had gathered to pay their respects, clapping to the cortege as it passed them.
Charlton (pictured left with Pele in 1995) is said to have given the event’s founder, Abraham Boakye, his nickname
On Monday, 4,000 miles away in Manchester, Charlton was buried after a ceremony at Manchester Cathedral
Thousands of supporters lined the route as the procession passed Old Trafford
Sir Alex Ferguson was among the mourners and he said Charlton had been one of his main supporters when he managed Man United.
Due to international commitments, only four current Man United players – Tom Heaton, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans – were able to attend the service, but a number 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 the municipality.
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 go there and talk,” Ferguson added. “The speakers did a great job.”
‘He was a wonderful man. I’m here (at) United because of Bobby Charlton.
‘The day I came, he supported me 100 percent. He was completely supportive of me and everything we were trying to do with the youth.”