Love him or hate him, Alhagi Omar Sey was a legend in politics and sports. He died Friday aged 77.
Sey served as the Gambia’s Foreign Minister between 1987 and 1992. He was the Caf President that never was. Read more here from this tribute from the Gambia Football Federation:
The late Uncle Omar Sey, OS was the President of the then GFA when The Gambia hosted and won the 2005 African U-17 Championship in Banjul. He was also the Vice Chairman of the Normalisation Committee that oversaw the transition from The Gambia Football Association to The Gambia Football Federation.
He was an international until his retirement when he took up an Executive position with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The late OS was on the verge of becoming the President of CAF in the mid 1980s when Gambia’s first President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara pleaded with him to take up appointment as the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, paving the way for Issa Hayatou to take over the mantle of leadership of the continental football body. He would remain Minister in the Jawara Government until 1994 but has never stayed away from football and until his death, he was an Adviser to the GFF Executive Committee.
The GFF president Lamin Kaba Bajo described Uncle OS’ demise as an irreparable loss to not only Gambians in particular but to the football world in general. With a heavy heart, the GFF President said Omar Sey’s death is the saddest news for Gambian football.
In respect and consideration of the contribution he has made to football development in The Gambia in particular, and Africa and the world in general, the GFF called off all its league matches that were scheduled for last Friday.
