Football fans set to say sad farewell to Newcastle superfan Cliffy

Cliffy Ahmed’s funeral will be held at South Shields Crematorium in John Reid Road at 3pm today.

The 57-year-old’s family have asked mourners to wear football shirts of their choice, and any donations will be given to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation or Diabetes UK.

Football-mad Cliffy had been to see Newcastle take on Manchester United on Tuesday, January 12, and went for a drink in Nine Bar – behind the Gallowgate End, at St James’s Park, after the 3-3 draw.

But after leaving the bar to make his way home, Cliffy, from West Holborn, South Shields, suffered a cardiac arrest and was later found lying close to the Strawberry pub, just yards from his beloved St James’s Park.

He was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary,where he died the following day.

A family spokesman said: “We have been totally overwhelmed by the messages we’ve received for Cliffy. We had intended on a simple service, but that’s been taken out of our hands now.

“It would be nice if people wore football shirts to the funeral, it would be fitting as Cliffy always had his on.”

An online fundraising account set by friends Louise Tebble and partner Chris Wood, from Lawe Top, South Shields, was launched to help with the cost of the funeral, so Cliffy could ‘have the send-off he deserved’.

Initially the couple had hoped to raise £500, but by yesterday the total was standing at £1,951.