Turkish team, Hatayspor, is making preparations for the upcoming 2023-24 football season after withdrawing from the Turkish Super Lig due to the devastating earthquake that struck the country.
The earthquake claimed the life of Christian Atsu, a beloved forward for Ghana’s national team, the Black Stars, along with over 50,000 other individuals.
After months of mourning and organizing themselves, Hatayspor made a return to action on Sunday, July 9, by playing a friendly match against Hull City, an English lower-tier side.
Prior to the game, the Hatayspor squad gathered for a team photo, with a club official holding up the jersey of the late Christian Atsu as a way to remember and pay tribute to the player.
The friendly match ended in a 1-1 draw, with neither team emerging as the winner. Despite the result, the event served as a meaningful occasion for Hatayspor to honor the memory of Christian Atsu and continue their footballing journey following the earthquake.
The English club, Hull City took the lead in the 67th minute through Will Jarvis before an equaliser from Unal Durmushan in the 83rd minute forced the match to end in a draw.
Hatayspor are expected to pay tribute toChristian Atsu, other players, and club officials who lost their lives in the earthquake when the new football season starts.
Ahead of a pre-season friendly game against Hull City on July 9, Hatayspor paid tribute to their fallen heroes including Ghana’s own, Christian Atsu.
The club, which indicated that the dead are “always in our hearts” posed for a photo comprising the starting XI and the jersey which was worn by Christian Atsu.
The 31-year-old up until his demise wore the number 30 jersey.
This was the first time the club returned to the pitch following the devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, killing Christian Atsu and Sporting Director Taner Savut.
Also, coach Volkan Demirel, on behalf of the club presented the jersey of Taner Savut to the bereaved family – the widow Pinar Savut and her daughters Alya and Cansin.
Teknik direktörümüz Volkan Demirel, deprem felaketinde kaybettiğimiz Sportif Direktörümüz Taner Savut’un kıymetli eşi Pınar Savut, kızları Alya ve Cansın Savut’a forma takdim etti. Taner hocamızı rahmet ve sevgiyle anıyoruz.#AtakaşHataysporpic.twitter.com/34t413BxOv
At the end of the friendly encounter, both teams ended up scoring a goal each.
Hull City took the lead in the 67th minute through Will Jarvis before an equaliser from Unal Durmushan in the 83rd minute.
Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu’s last touch as a footballer was scoring a brilliant free-kick for Hatayspor in a 1-0 win against Kasimpasa on February 5.
Per reports, he rescinded an earlier decision to fly to meet his family after the game to jubilate with his team.
Christian Atsu’s final moment as a footballer, scoring a free-kick in the last minute to win the game for Hatayspor, just hours before the earthquake struck.
Life is so short and unexpected, treasure every moment. RIP Christian Atsu 🙏🖤 pic.twitter.com/7xJT4v7C5I
Christian Atsu didn’t have a lucky start in life, but with talent and perseverance, he was able to fulfill his dream of playing professional football and, with it, a desire to make a difference in people’s lives.
The football world has been in mourning since Christian Atsu was confirmed dead after being trapped in the rubble following the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey in February.
At 31, the former Ghana international was nearly at the twilight of his career and his demise comes as a painful loss because he had a lot to offer, both on and off the pitch.
Born in Ada Foah in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, Atsu became a shining light to his family and community and made it his duty to impact the lives of others.
One of 10 children born by his parents and the son of a fisherman, Atsu’s career and life were a testament to what one can achieve with the right mix of determination, luck and opportunity.
Not only was he a devoted Christian, but he also made it his mission to care for the less privileged by using his funds to make their lives better.
In a 2019 interview with the Guardian, Atsu said: “My faith is the most important thing in my life. I know I’m one of the lucky people God has blessed.
“I’m very lucky and privileged to be in this position. I had nothing and now I’ve got too much so I have to give something back.”
This overly dutiful thinking – of owing his society and of being lucky to be privileged – guided his every step when he had his breakthrough and he never lost himself to fame and money.
The model footballer
Christian Atsu’s football career started on the dusty pitches in Accra before he was snapped up by the Feyenoord Soccer Academy in Gomoa Fetteh.
He would eventually end up at Cheetah FC, where he was given the platform to develop his game to the next level and, in 2011, he secured his first European trial at FC Porto.
Then just a teenager, Atsu impressed the Portuguese outfit and was handed a permanent contract, although he only trained with Porto’s youth team.
A loan move to Rio Ave would follow, as he sought more game time. In 27 matches for Rio Ave, the winger scored six goals and returned to Porto as a more mature footballer.
Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas integrated him into the first team during the 2012/13 campaign, with Atsu starting nine matches as the club won the league – his first major trophy.
That impressive season with the Portuguese giants earned Atsu a dream move to Chelsea. Unfortunately for him, though, he would spend the next four years with the Blues without making a single first-team appearance.
In that time, he was farmed out on loan to Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle United, before permanently joining the latter in 2017.
Atsu would spend five years at St. James’ Park, helping the Magpies to gain promotion to the Premier League and playing over 50 matches in the white and black jersey.
He parted ways with Newcastle in the summer of 2021 following the expiration of his contract and joined Saudi Arabia side Al Raed on a free transfer that same summer.
After just a year in the Middle East, the Ghanaian winger moved to Turkey to joinHatayspor, where he tragically died in the earthquake just a day after scoring his first goal for the club.
The philanthropist
Atsu’s impact wasn’t just limited to the football pitch. Off it, he also took steps to make life better for the less privileged.
He was always willing to give and he paid the fees of many, including the popular Nigerian comedian Craze Clown.
He was also an ambassador for many children’s charity foundations. In Ghana, he financed the Becky’s Foundation, which caters for orphans.
He had even started building a school for the orphanage, which is made up of nine classrooms, libraries, a pitch and ultramodern libraries, before his death. He was also an ambassador of the charity organisation Arms Around the Child.
Furthermore, he played a huge role in the non-custodial sentencing bill and teamed up with the Crime Check Foundation to pay the fines of petty criminals.
These included persons who were languishing in prison over petty theft, and also helped to reintegrate the freed inmates into society. The winger even went as far as providing money for some of them to start businesses.
In a 2018 interview, Atsu tried to explain the motive behind his philanthropic works: “I lived in an uncompleted building. Every time I go back to Ghana, I see the building I lived in. It’s still uncompleted.
“I say to my friends ‘this was me, this is where I came from’. It’s hard in Africa. You cannot imagine what it is like to see the kids with no money, no house, with nowhere to go.”
“We have to build a better world. As a grown-up guy like me, I can suffer. That’s fine. But not the kids. Not when it’s not their fault.”
Atsu’s achievements
Atsu’s football career lasted over a decade and although he was blighted by injuries at his peak, he still had some achievements to his name.
At Porto, he won the Portuguese league title as well as the Portuguese Super Cup. He was also voted as the club’s young player of the year in 2011.
He also made his mark during his loan spell with Vitesse, where he was voted the club’s player of the year in 2014. With Newcastle United, too, he won the EFL Championship in their promotion season.
For Ghana, Atsu’s best performances came during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where he helped the Black Stars to finish as runners-up to the Ivory Coast.
Atsu emerged as the player of the tournament, with his long-range strike against Guinea also voted as the goal of the tournament.
The son of a fisherman, Christian Atsu never got caught in the trappings of fame.
Humble beginnings meant the Ghana midfielder, who lost his life in the recent earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria, tried to use his success to help others in their lives.
His generosity and charitable nature led one former international team-mate to describe Atsu as “one in a million”.
“He helped a lot of people solve their problems, gave cash out to those in need,” John Paintsil told BBC Sport Africa.
“Atsu’s mind was so good that it could come up with different ideas.
“He was jovial and creative, like a movie star,” the former Fulham and West Ham defender added.
“We have lost a great soul. He was one in a million because he sometimes put others before himself.”
The ‘Ghana Messi’
Perhaps the highlight of Atsu’s international career came at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Equatorial Guinea where he scored two goals en route to the final which was won by Ivory Coast on penalties.
Nonetheless, the left-footed midfielder picked up two awards of his own for best goal and best player at the tournament.
“He was a joy to be with and a great team-mate, someone who had an abundance of skill and quality,” said Kwesi Appiah, who played alongside Atsu at that 2015 Afcon.
“He was nicknamed Ghana’s Messi for his style and also the way we relied on him as a team,” revealed the former Crystal Palace striker.
“He was an exceptional player and I’m really honoured to have shared some special moments with him on the pitch.”
In total, Atsu represented his country 62 times, scoring 10 goals.
“Away from football, he was very caring and supportive and would go out of his way to help anyone,” Appiah continued.
“He’d light up any room.”
From fishing in Ghana to finding the net in Europe
Atsu was born in January 1992 in Ada Foah, a town on the south-east coast of Ghana where the Volta River joins the Atlantic Ocean to create the delta that allowed his late father to eke out a living fishing and farming.
Growing up, he shared a cramped bedroom with his mother, twin sister Christiana and four other siblings.
Like other African kids, football was the dream ticket out of poverty.
Atsu cut his teeth at local clubs Cheetah FC and Feyenoord Fetteh – the African academy of Dutch side Feyenoord – before a move to Portuguese giants FC Porto in 2009.
Atsu was just 17 when he arrived in Portugal, initially struggling to break into the first team.
But a successful loan spell at Rio Ave saw him finally make the breakthrough at his parent club during the 2012/13 campaign.
25 appearances in all competitions for Porto, as well as playing every match as Ghana finished fourth at the Afcon in South Africa, convinced Chelsea to snap him up in September 2013.
But the move to London, for a reported fee of £3.5 million, did not work out as planned because Atsu never played a senior game for the Blues.
Instead, he became part of Chelsea’s loan army, with temporary spells in the Netherlands, England and Spain at Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth and Malaga.
But his stop-start club career did not impact Atsu’s performances on the international stage; it was during this time that he shone so brightly for the Black Stars at the 2015 Afcon.
During another loan, Atsu helped Newcastle United win promotion back to the Premier League, scoring in the game which clinched an immediate return to the English top flight.
The move was made permanent soon after.
Christian Atsu played over 100 games for Newcastle United and had a key role in the club’s promotion back to the English Premier League in the 2016/17 season under Rafa Benitez, a coach who thought highly of the midfielder
“He was someone who was very gentle, quite softly spoken,” said BBC Radio Newcastle commentator Matthew Raisbeck, who remembers Atsu from that successful promotion campaign.
“(He) was often singled out by Rafa Benitez and Steve Bruce [both former Newcastle managers] for his hard work in training and a really high level of physical fitness.”
After five years at St James’ Park, Atsu suffered an injury-blighted season in Saudi Arabia with Al-Raed before joining Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor in September last year.
In a poignant twist of fate, he scored a winning goal in the 97th minute of Hatayspor’s match against Kasimpasa just hours before the first earthquake struck to claim his life.
He was 31 years old.
‘A truly unique and wonderful man’
But perhaps Atsu’s biggest success came off the pitch, where he led a life that was very much the opposite of the bling stereotype associated with modern day footballers.
He returned to Cheetah FC, where he learned his trade, donating boots and other items to the Ghanaian second-tier side’s academy.
He also focused on rehabilitating criminals, people who were desperate for food and ended up convicted of petty crimes.
Atsu believed that prison should not damage people and he was responsible for reuniting several impoverished families in Ghana after paying out thousands of dollars in fines and bail money.
In one example, he helped free a 62-year-old grandmother and her daughter, jailed for stealing two dollar’s worth of corn to feed their family.
He gave some of the prisoners money to get them started in business and also upgraded the football pitch in Awutu Prison.
But Atsu’s philanthropy was not limited solely to helping those in trouble with the law.
“He was such a giver, such a super human being,” Ellie Milner, chairperson of Arms Around the Child, told the BBC when asked about the midfielder’s work with vulnerable children.
“When he visited the children, he would arrive and kick off his shoes and play barefoot.
“They would welcome him like a hero, but also like a father, uncle or brother.”
Atus had been an ambassador for the charity since 2016 and was the main benefactor of a Ghanaian school supporting abandoned children, orphans, the chronically ill and those rescued from trafficking.
“He was a truly unique and wonderful man,” added Milner.
“One of the kindest, most talented, humble people to enter this world.”
“His legacy will live on through the many hundreds, if not thousands of lives he has helped.”
Christian Atsu left FC Porto to Chelsea in the year 2013. He was with the Blues for four years.
However, he was not able to get his breakthrough as he was not able to make a competitive appearance for the men’s first team.
Atsu spent his seasons as a Blue out on loan, although he featured in some pre-season games.
During those years, the Ghanaian international was named the Player of the Tournament at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The 31-year-old also also scored the Goal of the Tournament as Ghana finished runners up.
His loans took him to Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle before he was transferred permanently to St James’ Park. He moved to Turkey to play for Hatayspor last year.
Atsu’s demise has hit the football world hard. FC Porto, Hatayspor and FIFA have all eulogised the former Black Stars player.
Also, Chelsea has sent has heartfelt condolences to Christian’s family and friends and to all those affected by the earthquake tragedy.
The body of Hatayspor’s Sporting Director, Taner Savut, was found on Tuesday, more than two weeks after two devastating earthquakes struck in Turkey and Syria.
Savut had been missing since February 6, and his body was found close to where Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, of the same club, was discovered last week.
Atsu was confirmed dead on Saturday with his remains being flown to his family on Sunday with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internal Relations.
However, days after the death of the Ghanaian was confirmed, Hatayspor also announced they have seen the lifeless body of the club’s Sporting Director.
“We feel the deep sorrow of losing our Sporting Director Taner Savut,” Turkish side Hatayspor said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Başımız sağ olsun
Sportif Direktörümüz Taner Savut'u kaybetmenin derin acısını yaşıyoruz. Hocamıza yüce Allah'tan rahmet, ailesine ve sevenlerine başsağlığı diliyoruz. Seni unutmayacağız Taner hoca. Mekanın cennet olsun. Her zaman kalbimizdesin.#AtakaşHataysporpic.twitter.com/RSpFjnV0YZ
Christian Atsu‘s last moments with his team, Hatayspor, were happy and exciting. The Ghanaian international, who tragically died following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, scored the team’s final goal.
Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu was spotted having fun with his Hatayspor teammates before the earthquake in Turkey.
Ghana winger Christian Atsu was spotted having fun with his Hatayspor teammates before the earthquake in Turkey. Credit: @addojunr Source: Twitter
In a video shared on social media, Atsu is seen having fun with his teammates as they hyped him up, following his sensational free kick against Kasimpasa. The ever-smiling player is also seen practicing a dance move with one of his teammates while the others chant his name.
A few hours after the players left camp for their various destinations, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Hatay region in Turkey and the northern part of Syria, leaving over 40,000 people dead. Atsu was initially reported to be trapped under rubble but after 12 days of searching and many prayers of hope, he was found dead.
The 31-year-old’s passing has left the footballing world in shock, with many sending in their tributes as the club arranged with Turkish authorities for his body to be transported to Ghana for burial. Atsu enjoyed a stellar career in Europe, playing for FC Porto, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Everton before a brief time in Saudi Arabia.
The government, family, friends and former footballers were all at the Kotoko International Airport to receive the body ahead of the final rites. Many were unable to hold back tears and wails of anguish, as the late footballer’s body was transported off a Turkish Airlines aircraft. Danilo pays tribute to Atsu Juventus and Brazilian defender, Danilo paid Atsu emotional tribute, after the Ghanaian passed away following theTurkey-Syria earthquake.
The two players were teammates at Portuguese giants, FC Porto, breaking into the senior team in the same year. Atsu was killed after being trapped under rubble, following the disaster which claimed the lives of over 40,000 people.
Christian Atsu was scheduled to travel to see his family before the tragic earthquakes in Turkey, according to Fatih Ilek, the administrative manager of Hatayspor.
Following his effort that helped Hatayspor defeat Kasimpasa in the Turkish top flight, Atsu, who had planned to leave Turkey to visit his family, canceled his travel.
After going days without being located following the earthquake on February 6, the 31-year-death old’s was officially declared on February 18 after his remains were discovered.
Atsu had intended to leave Turkey, but he changed his mind after scoring the winning goal in his final match for the team, according to Ilek.
“Christian Atsu told the coach that he wanted to take more time before our match with Gaziantep FK. ‘Can I leave if I find a team?’ he said. Volkan Demirel also accepted this request,” he told Radyospor.
“He didn’t play against Gaziantep FK, but scored a last-minute goal in the Kasımpasa match. Actually, he was going abroad to visit his family. But when he played well and scored, he cancelled his ticket. The earthquake happened on his happiest day. He had a flight at 11 pm. Cancelled the ticket. There was an earthquake at 4 am. Absolutely a tragedy.”
Since the confirmation of his death, tributes have been pouring in for the former Black Stars international from his former teammates, clubs as well as some of the football associations.
Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the executive director of the Crime Check Foundation, has stated that he has been informed that Christian Atsuleft his flat before the earthquake occurred.
Christian Atsu and his Hataysporclub technical director, Taner Savut, have both been missing since Monday, February 6, 2023, following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.
His agent, Nana Sechere went to the site with a rescue team in search of his player but revealed that only a pair of his shoes were found at the apartment and that there was no sign of Christian Atsu.
Providing his own update, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng who has been working with Christian Atsu over the years, stated that he has been told the player left the apartment minutes before the earthquake hit his building.
“I have been briefed by the club that he was not in the building. He run to the parking garage to get his car out and it was during that period that the Renaissance building totally collapsed and that happened 20 minutes after he left the apartment.”
“Our brother was not in the building, he went out before the building collapsed. But I can’t confirm whether he will able to leave the parking garage with his car or not,” he added in his update on Crime Check’s YouTube page sighted by GhanaWeb.
Sam Adekugbe, a Canadian football player who plays forTurkish club Hatayspor, has transferred to Galatasaray on loan after surviving last week’s significant earthquakes in southern Turkey.
The Canadian defender will play for Galatasaray for the remainder of the 2022–23 campaign, according to a statement from Galatasaray. Both clubs approved of Adekugbe’s temporary transfer to the Istanbul club, the statement said.
For a €1 million ($1.06 million) transfer fee, Galatasaray can make the agreement permanent.
Adekugbe, who appeared upset, expressed his gratitude to both teams in an emotional English-language video posted on Galatasaray’s Twitter page. He also urged people to help those who had been affected by the disaster more.
“I’m thankful to Hatay and Galatasaray for giving me this opportunity. But of course, we understand the situation that has occurred in the last week or so,” he said. Hatay, where Hatayspor is based, is one of the worst-affected provinces of Turkey.
“People need our help—in any way we can,” Adekugbe said. “We can help with money, we can help with donations, we can help in any way, but it is important that we help and that we stay together.”
Sam Adekugbe: “Önemli olan yardım edip kenetlenmemiz çünkü biliyoruz ki biz beraberken daha güçlüyüz.”
Hayatını kaybeden vatandaşlarımızı saygıyla anıyoruz, kalbimizdesiniz! ∞
ℹ️ Nef Stadyumu’ndaki yardım merkezimizde, afet bölgesine yapacağınız yardımlarınızı bekliyoruz. ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/ex2apxCfg9
In the Turkish city of Hatay,Christian Atsu and an official of his club, Hatayspor, are still thought to be trapped inside the wreckage of the apartment building where they once resided.
According to reports in Turkish media, thermal cameras used at the Hatay Renaissance facility have verified that many people who were buried alive by the rubble after the earthquake on February 6 are still alive.
The facility, which has about 250 apartments, was occupied at the time of the incident, according to the media outlet Ajansspor.
“There are many living people, confirmed by thermal cameras. The building, where national handball player Cemal Kütahya and his family, Hatayspor manager Taner Savut, and football player Christian Atsu are located, is very crowded with a capacity of 1000 people,” Ajansspor tweeted with a video of experts at the site.
Christian Atsu and Hatayspor’s Sporting Director, Taner Savut are among the occupants of the facility believed to still be under the rubble.
Reports emerged that Atsu had been rescued alive and sent to the hospital after 26 hours (February 7) but that account was later dismissed as a case of mistaken identity.
The death toll continues to mount even as technical, logistical, and relief support from across the world pours in to help the country cope with the magnitude of death and destruction.
Cameroonian international, Kevin Olivier Soni, Christian Atsu’s Hatayspor teammate has shared his last conversation with the former Black Stars star before the February 6 earthquake hit.
The Indomitable Lions midfielder, shared terrifying details of how he escaped the incident in Hatay, the club’s home city and one of the most hit by the natural disaster.
In a wide-ranging interview with French news outlet, Foot Mercato, Soni opened up about the before, during and aftermath of the incident including responding to questions about Atsu.
Below is a transcript of what he said about Atsu
Foot Mercato:Several members of the club have not had your luck and are still missing, like Christian Atsu.
Kevin Soni: I get goosebumps talking to you. Before that happened, I was talking with Christian Atsu on the phone. He had scored a free kick on Sunday and I told him that he had played well and that I had liked his match.
I told him that I hoped to find the grounds quickly so that we could play together. But I didn’t know that was the last time I spoke with him. Two hours later, I had no more news. I was told that my friend might be dead, it’s enough to drive you crazy.
I am certainly the last person to have spoken with him on the phone. I’m not proud to say that, I really hope we find him safe and sound. It is my wish. I pray for this everyday.
Foot Mercato: Some media have however said that he had been found. Have you had any news?
Kevin Soni: Those are lies. Tuesday evening, we flew back to Istanbul and he was not with us. If he had been found, why wasn’t he on the plane? These are lies.
They may have said that to maintain hope and not to frighten his family. What I can tell you is that he did not fly with us to Istanbul. I hope we will find him.
Atsu, Hatayspor official still missing
Christian Atsu and Hatayspor’s Sporting Director, Taner Savut are among the occupants of the facility who are believed to still be under the rubble.
Reports emerged that Atsu had been rescued alive and sent to the hospital after 26 hours (February 7) but that account was later dismissed as a case of mistaken identity.
Atsu, according to the Ghana ambassador in Turkey is the only Ghanaian who is yet to be accounted for.
About the February 6 earthquake
A powerful earthquake struck Türkiye’s southern provinces and neighbouring Syria, leaving thousands dead within Turkish borders and killing many others in war-torn Syria.
A major earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria as buildings collapsed and triggering a search for survivors trapped in the rubble.
As at February 9, 2023; death toll has risen to 17,674 and the number of injured hit 72,879 in the wake of Monday’s powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye, Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
The disaster, described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “Disaster of the Century,” also killed at least 3,377 people in neighbouring Syria, regime and opposition authorities reported, taking the combined toll to 21,051.
On Tuesday morning, reports emerged that former Black Stars and Newcastle United star Christian Atsu had been found alive after being trapped in the rubble caused by a powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday.
As newsof his rescue spread, many in Ghana let out a collective sigh of relief, thankful that Atsu had been saved from almost certain peril. Since the earthquake, people all over the world have prayed for Atsu’s safety and offered support to thosedisplaced by the disaster.
With Atsu’s rescue, the global community can take comfort that some good has come from this tragic event.
Not long after, there was agitation on social media after authorities noted that they are unable to determine the health facility the player has been admitted to.
Ghana’s ambassador to Turkey, H.E. Francisca Ashietey-Odunton confirmed that information privy to her does confirm that the 31-year-old had been rescued but there were challenges with locating the said facility he was receiving medical attention.
But according to Hatayspor team doctor Gurbey Kahveci, the club can not confirm if Christian Atsu was rescued due to the recent challenge.
“When we heard the news that “he was taken to Dortyol Hospital”, we especially went and looked, but it was not there. At the moment, we accept that [the sporting director] Taner Savut and Christian Atsu were not found, unfortunate,” he said.
Currently, it is unclear the current health status of Christian Atsu.
Twin sister of former Black Stars player, and Hatayspor winger, Christiana Atsupie Twasam, is the latest to confirm his safety.
She says her brother is “safe and sound.”
Atsu together with his club director, Taner Savut, were trapped under debris for 26 hours when an earthquake hit Turkey Monday morning.
Earlier, conflicting news about the player’s safety went rife but in an exclusive interview with crimecheckghana.org, London-based Astupie Twasam stressed her brother was safe.
“I received a call from his agent around 6 am this morning that he has been found and taken to the hospital. We thank God though but I want to hear his voice before I calm down,” she said.
The 31-year-old said the family was preparing to fly to the Western Asian country to ascertain the condition of the player.
“I am preparing to leave for Turkey. I want to see the extent of the injury he has sustained“ adding that “ these past few hours have not been easy, it has been tears and prayers to God,” she added.
Christian Atsu was in action for Hatayspor over the weekend in their victory over Kasimpasa in the Turkish top flight with the Ghanaian scoring the only goal.
She continued that, “I saw him scoring in Sunday’s match, so I had planned to congratulate him when I get home but I slept off.“
“Something strange happened when I woke up to use the washroom and I felt heavy in my spirit, so I said in my head that Atsu will not die. A few hours after this, his agent called to tell me about the earthquake,“ she added.
Allaying fears concerning the player’s wife and children, Atsupe said “the children are here in London, I have spoken to them in a video this morning. They are fine.”
“We are grateful to Ghanaians for their prayers and words of encouragement,“ she added.
On Monday February, 6, 2023 earthquake claimed over 4,300 lives while 15,000 others sustained various degrees of injuries.
In September 2022, the 31-year-old Black Stars winger penned a one-year deal to join the Turkish side following a spell in Saudi Arabia.
Background
A powerful earthquake struck South-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, killing more than 4,300 people as they slept and trapping many others in the early hours of Monday.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep.
Hours later, a second quake, which had a magnitude of 7.5, hit the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.
In September 2022, the 31-year-old Black Stars winger penned a one-year deal to join the Turkish side following a spell in Saudi Arabia.
