Lamin Conteh (20 June 1976 – 5 May 2022), widely known by his

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

Junior Tumbu, was a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

an professional association football, footballer who played as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...

. He represented the Sierra Leone national team from 1994 until 2002.

Biography

Conteh was born and raised in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, to

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

parents from the limba ethnic group. A Muslim himself, Conteh grew up in

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. As a

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

, he was frequently seen playing

street football The terms street football and street soccer (American and Canadian English) encompass a number of informal varieties of association football. These informal pick up games do not necessarily follow the requirements of a formal game of footbal ...

across Freetown with boys much older than he was. As a teenager, he was considered the best secondary school footballer in Sierra Leone. He dropped out of the Ahmmadiyya Muslim Secondary School in Freetown in 1992 to become a professional footballer. Conteh made his international debut for Sierra Leone in 1994, at the age of seventeen. Though a Muslim, Lamin was highly involved in the

rastafarian movement Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

and was a big fan of reggae star

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

. Conteh died in the early hours of 5 May 2022.

Career

At the age of 18, Conteh was selected to play for

in the

1994 Africa Cup of Nations The 1994 African Cup of Nations was the 19th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Tunisia, who replaced original hosts Zaire. Just as in 1992, the field of twelve teams was ...

held in Tunisia. He was also picked in the squad for the following tournament in South Africa two years later. After a match against

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in 2000, Conteh claimed that the

Sierra Leone Football Association The Sierra Leone Football Association is the governing body of football in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1960 (current association), and affiliated to FIFA the same year. It organizes and runs the national leagues, including the Sierra Leone N ...

owed him $2,000, and refused to play for his country until the money was paid to him. The matter was later resolved, and in 2002, he took over the captaincy of the national team from

Mohamed Kallon Mohamed Kallon Order of the Rokel, MOR (born 6 October 1979) is a Sierra Leonean association football, football manager and former player who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is widely considered the most famous footballer ...

Honours

Al Wahda *

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

: 1998–99, 2000–01 *

UAE President's Cup The UAE President's Cup, or simply the President Cup, is a football tournament that takes place in United Arab Emirates, between clubs in the UAE Pro League and the UAE First Division League. The winner qualifies for the AFC Champions League. His ...

: 1999–2000 *

UAE Federation Cup The Federation cup (Arabic: كأس الإتحاد الإماراتي ) was a United Arab Emirates football tournament for UAE Football League teams. Starting from the 2008-09 season or whats known as the Pro Era this tournament was replaced with UA ...

: 2001 Perlis F.A. *

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual association football, football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popular ...

: 2004, 2006

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conteh, Lamin 1976 births 2022 deaths Sierra Leonean Muslims Sportspeople from Freetown Sierra Leonean footballers Association football midfielders Sierra Leone international footballers 1994 African Cup of Nations players 1996 African Cup of Nations players 2. Bundesliga players UAE First Division League players UAE Pro League players K. Beerschot V.A.C. players SV Meppen players Boavista F.C. players Varzim S.C. players Al Wahda FC players Fujairah FC players Perlis FA players Negeri Sembilan FA players Pelita Bandung Raya players Sierra Leonean expatriate footballers Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Belgium Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate footballers in Germany Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Portugal Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Expatriate footballers in Indonesia Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates