Exclusive revelations from Madah Bitèye, widow of Cheick Tioté

Madah Bitèye, the widow of late Ivorian footballer Cheick Tioté, is at the centre of a controversy with her in-laws. She is accused of unfairly evicting her late husband's family from their residence.

Although for now only the family's version has been heard, an interview with Madah Bitèye has resurfaced. In it, she recounts their meeting and how she learned of Cheick Tioté's death.

“I met Cheick Tioté in Treichville, more precisely in my neighborhood. He sent me one of his friends so he could talk to me when I was 14 years old. It all started as a teenage relationship, because I was in 5th grade.

He used to walk me to school. I didn't dream of a life with a footballer, but I left everything to follow him. I was barely 18. We got married in 2007 and we spent nine years of marriage before he died.

Life with a footballer is quite stressful because you live according to their moods and you share their stress. It's not always the bling-bling you see on social media.

When I heard the news of his death in 2017, I was at work. I arrived in heavy rain around 1pm and everyone knew except me. I was eight and a half months pregnant and due in three weeks. I was taken aside and told to go home.

But the rain was so heavy that we couldn't see anything on the road. I even thought it was a surprise from him since he liked to surprise me. I called him all day without answer.

When I got home, I saw my mother, my sister and her uncle in the garage. My shoemaker was holding my bag and my phones. I asked them what happened, they told me he was injured.

I kept leaving him messages. The family arrived and the house filled up, but I still didn't understand. The imam came in and started, and as soon as I saw him, I understood.

I didn't realize until my mother took off my earrings. After the Imams came, I don't know what happened.

“It couldn’t be him, it wasn’t possible. He had nothing. He had even played on the weekend and he was fine. We had three children,” Madah Bitèye said.