<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Conteh spoke of her ambition to coach Sierra Leone during her trailblazing club managerial career<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Mohamed Fajah Barrie<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Sport Africa, Sierra Leone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first woman to coach an elite men’s football club in Sierra Leone has thanked national team boss John Keister after he funded a life-saving operation to amputate her leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pioneer Victoria Conteh, who played in Sierra Leone’s first ever women’s international in 1994, also made history when appointed coach of men’s top-flight side East End Tigers<\/a> ahead of the 2019-20 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Described by Keister as “like a sister” and a “trusted lieutenant”, the 48-year-old first began experiencing an issue with her left foot in July 2022, going on to lose a considerable amount of weight as a result of the gradually developing pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It started like a boil on two of my toes and was itching,” Conteh tells BBC Sport Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I didn’t take it seriously until I started feeling pain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Keister who first advised Conteh, who is also a policewoman, to see a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I went to the police hospital in Freetown and was treated After some time, I started feeling pain again and it got severe for close to four months,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Seeing that I had lost weight and was deteriorating, John took me to a doctor. After the diagnosis, the doctor told us the reason for the pain was because my foot had been badly infected by a poison I stepped on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don’t know where and when it happened but it was really painful.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘He’s like a brother to me’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Surgeons amputated Conteh’s leg in November last year. Once again, Keister was involved, breaking news of the decision to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was John who the doctor first told about how severe my condition was,” says a tearful Conteh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The best thing to do to save my life was to amputate my leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When John called me on the phone and told me about it, I nearly collapsed. I can’t even explain how I felt at that moment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sierra Leone men’s national team head coach John Keister played a crucial role in Conteh seeking and receiving treatment on her left leg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was feeling pain inside. Even when my daughter brought me food, I wasn’t able to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I didn’t have the courage to break the news to her and my two sons. It was a sad moment for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But it’s the will of God, I have to accept it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keister says he funded Conteh’s treatment because of the close bond the two have built up over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“She’s one of my trusted friends and a trusted lieutenant,” says the 52-year-old, who guided Sierra Leone to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“She’s like a sister to me. It was difficult to absorb the news and to break it to her after the doctor told me about the amputation. I cried.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now learning to live with her disability, Conteh, who has also coached Sierra Leone’s women at under-20 level, remains grateful to Keister for his emotional and financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He’s a good man. We are close friends and he’s like a brother to me,” she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was down and frustrated, even after the successful operation. But with encouraging calls from people and prayers, I calmed down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m thankful to God that I’m still alive and I’m also grateful to coach Keister for paying for my surgery.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>