Sierra Leone: Drogba’s World Cup Booths Sold In Salone for $12,000
By Bai Bai Sesay – Didier Drogba’s football boots wore at the last World Cup in South Africa has been sold in Freetown last Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at an auction held at the Country Lodge Resort, Hill Station in the capital Freetown for a whopping US$12,000.
The occasion was a fundraising dinner hosted by F.C Johansen in support of their upcoming international football tournament involving teams from six African countries.
auction took place at the Country Lodge, Hill Station, in Freetown on sunday at a funding raising dinner hosted by FC Johansson for their upcoming international football tournament at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown in December this year.
Jamaican “dancehall king”, Beeneman, and a Nigerian Master of Ceremony (MC) were the two personalities who lured attendees to buy the booths so as to support FC Johansson. When the first boots went under the hammer, the bidding process started from $1,000 until its reached $6,000 by…. who bought the first booth. Then the bidding for the second booth started and Beeneman and the Nigerian Master of Ceremony (MC) asked the daughter of Mr. Jamal, the owner of Country Lodge, to ask her father to buy the remaining booth. After a phone call, Mr. Jamal appeared and bought the second booth for $6,000.
Before Didier Drogba’s booths were unveiled from a black bag, Melvin Chalubah Jr told the audience of how he was met by FC Johansson’s Isha Johansson in London who asked him to look for sponsors for her team. Mr. Chalubah said he was moved because as a Sierra Leonean he was impressed by the efforts made by Isha to improve football in Sierra Leone. So, he continued, he went to many clubs in England, asking for supports. He told of how he met Drogba and how Drogba gave him the booths after signing his signature on them.
The occasion saw imminent personalities like Dr Julius Spencer who did a presentation on behalf of the 50th Independence Anniversary celebration and asked for supports towards making the country’s Golden Jubilee a success as it is a national celebration. Also present were the Ghanaian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Ambassador Joe Blell the former Sierra Leone High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and others who made the draws.
