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14.05.2008
Toon ace Geremi`s grief for sister
TOUGH-tackling Toon ace Geremi blinked back tears today and told of his personal hell after his sister was killed by cancer.
It was massive blow for the former Newcastle United skipper who missed his team’s last game of the season on Sunday as he flew home to Africa to pay his last respects at the funeral of his big sister Nantchouang.
The mother-of-two died aged just 35 after losing a two-year battle against leukaemia.
Geremi said: “She is so young.”
While his team-mates played against Everton on Sunday, grieving Geremi was with his 16 brothers and sisters in his home town of Bafoussam in Cameroon.
From his home, the 30-year-old former Chelsea star said it meant a lot to his family that he missed Sunday’s match to be at the funeral.
He added: “This is the last thing we can do for her.
“She came to my place to spend some time with me in December. Over the last few months she just got worse.
“It’s a big drama for the family – she is so young.”
Team-mates at Newcastle United have been rallying around with messages of support for Geremi. He said although he has tried to put his private anguish behind him, he would have been in no fit state to play at the weekend.
“That is why they let me go,” he said. “I was not ready to play.”
Now, after an emotionally turbulent few days, he is desperately trying to recover in time for a Cameroonian World Cup qualifying match.
He has just weeks until he’ll be back in action when Cameroon face the Cape Verde Islands on May 31 in Yaounde, Cameroon.
He is not expecting to return to Newcastle until the summer.
“I’m taking my holiday now and I am trying to get some rest,” said Geremi, whose return home caused a stir. He said: “It was a sad moment but I want people there to know I have not forgotten them.
“These people encourage me.”
Nantchouang had been living in Belgium, and now her family are rallying around to look after her daughters, aged six and two.
Geremi’s father, Samuel, had five wives after the Bamileke tribe awarded him the social status to marry as many times as he wanted.
The privilege was bestowed on the Cameroon football star of the 70s after his success on an international level.
His shot was so powerful he was nicknamed ‘Poison Arrow’.
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From Cameroon to the Toon
GEREMI’S footballing career started with impoverished club Racing Bafoussam.
In 1996 he signed for Cerro Porteno in Paraguay.
He came to Europe through the Turkish club, Genclerbirligi, in Ankara, but his dream was realised when he joined Real Madrid in 1999.
He moved to Middlesbrough in 2002, before Chelsea bought him for £7m in 2003.
Geremi joined Newcastle United in July 2007 with a three-year contract.
He first played for Cameroon at the age of 17 and went on to captain his team to the gold medal at the 2002 Sydney Olympics.
He also played in six of the qualifying games for the World Cup played in Japan and South Korea.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2008/05/13/toon-ace-geremi-s-grief-for-sister-72703-20902160/
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