Sunday was a gray day as Ivory Coast laid Cheick Tiote to rest at the Williamsville Municipal Cemetery, Ivory Coast joined by some of the nation’s footballing fraternity who paid their respects and tributes to the late midfielder.
Tiote who died at the age of 30, was playing for Beijing Enterprises when he collapsed during training on Monday, June 5, just four months into his transfer.
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Salomon Kalou, Kolo Toure, Wilfred Bony, Eric Bailly were among the mourners who joined family and friends to say their final goodbyes.
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“He’s someone I respected as a human being but also as a football player,” Kalou told BBC Sport.
“I played six years with him in the national team and I played against him with Chelsea when he was at Newcastle, so we had a good relationship.
“I couldn’t miss this funeral for anything in the world,” Kalou added. “It’s unreal.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”It looks like a dream right now. We’re all here to show him love and to show him he’s always going to be in our hearts.”[/perfectpullquote]
Former Swansea marksman, Bony, also paid his tributes and shared memories of Tiote’s warm and warrior-like nature which made him a very competitive midfielder.
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“From the beginning when I joined the team in 2010, he was one of the first players who came and talked to me about how to be here, my attitude, how to train, how I need to react with the other players,” Bony began, as per BBC Sport.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Tiote was a player who loved to win who loved to be first, he never wanted to lose. He wanted always to be the best.[/perfectpullquote]
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Former Ivory Coast Head coach Herve Renard. (Getty Images)
The Prime Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the President of the FIF, Sidy Diallo, President of the Professional League, Sory Diabate and Coulibaly Mahama, the CAFCI president, were also in attendance along with ex-Ivory Coast and current Morocco boss, Herve Renard.
Tiote was buried with a full military funeral in Adjame to the north of Abidjan.
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