Atto Ayippey Mensah (born 1964) is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player. He lives in the Netherlands and holds both Sierra Leonean and Dutch citizenship. Born in Ghana, he came to Sierra Leone in 1980 and played for

East End Lions East End Lions is a Sierra Leonean professional football club based in the capital Freetown. They play in the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in Sierra Leone. East End Lions represents the East End of Freetown, and ...

and won the championship in 1980 and 1985. Mensah gained Sierra Leonean citizenship in 1987. An

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, Mensah made his international debut for the Sierra Leone national team in the 1988 African Cup of Nations qualification competition in a 2–0 victory over

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in July 1987. He made six caps before moving to the Netherlands in 1989. There he had a trial at

Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...

and played in the amateur ranks ending at ASV Arsenal. He got his UEFA B-licence in the Netherlands and worked as a youth coach. He is currently head coach of amateur-side ASV Arsenal in Amsterdam. Mensah was appointed by the Ministry of Sport in September 2014, replacing the Northern Irish manager Johnny McKinstry in the role of manager of the Sierra Leone national team for the remaining

2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches determined the participating teams for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. A total of 16 teams competed in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Prior to November 2014, it was expected that Morocco woul ...

matches. He was replaced by John Ajina Sesay, who was appointed by the

Sierra Leone Football Association The Sierra Leone Football Association is the governing body of football in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1960 (current association), and affiliated to FIFA the same year. It organises and runs the national leagues, including the Sierra Leone ...

in October 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mensah, Atto Living people 1964 births Sierra Leonean men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Sierra Leone men's international footballers Sierra Leonean football managers Dutch football managers Sierra Leone national football team managers Date of birth missing (living people)