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Homeland strife saddens Conteh

By Jose Alfredo Flores
USA TODAY

You wouldn't know Abdul Thompson Conteh had a great deal to worry about just by looking at him.

The Sierra Leone native, who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, laughs with his teammates during practices and seems as if he doesn't have a care in the world. But if you bring up the bloodshed and famine in his homeland, Conteh's mood darkens.

''The rebels have been bombing my country for nine years now, killing my people,'' says Conteh, 30, in his first year in MLS. ''You can't live in a country like that.''

Since 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has been creating chaos in the diamond-rich West African nation. The RUF rebels have been responsible for more than 80,000 deaths over nine years and have taken control of the government by force, destroying a previously democratic society.

Conteh (CON-tuh) was one of the lucky ones. His father, Thompson Tombo, decided to send his eldest daughter, Ettea Toure, to the USA in 1970. Conteh followed in 1984.

''I'm not sure how, but my father knew something bad was going to happen,'' Conteh says.

Other family members who remained in Sierra Leone were not so lucky. At least 20 of his cousins, aunts and uncles have been killed in the civil war.

While in Tampa on April 26 for a road game, he received a phone call from his wife, Denise, to tell him his niece had been killed.

''I receive many phone calls from family here in the U.S. and back home all the time, and it's never good news,'' says Conteh, who has become an advocate for his countrymen.

Despite the troubles, Conteh leads San Jose in scoring, with eight goals and three assists for 19 points.

''You wouldn't know he had all these problems if you talked to him,'' teammate Ian Russell says. ''It's pretty amazing.''