The death of Christian Atsu in the devastating earthquake in Turkey shocked the football world. The English Premier League, where the 31-year-old played for years, commemorates the Ghanaian before the games. The tragedy is likely to have legal consequences.
When Christian Atsu’s remains were flown from Istanbul to Ghana on Sunday, the tears over the footballer’s tragic death were far from dried. A day earlier, the lifeless body of the African had been recovered from under the rubble of his home in the Turkish city of Antakya, not far from the border with Syria, which was particularly badly damaged by the earthquake.
The farewell to the 31-year-old at St. James Park, the home ground of Newcastle United, was particularly emotional. Atsu’s widow Marie-Claire Rupio and their three children cried as 52,000 spectators applauded in sympathy before the Premier League game against Liverpool (0-2). The left winger had worn the Magpies’ jersey for five years.
Atsu’s older brother and twin sister had hoped in vain that the international would have survived the natural disaster. Reports that her brother had been rescued, albeit injured, turned out to be false. Instead, the siblings were eyewitnesses when helpers found the body on Saturday.
Those responsible at Atsu’s last sporting station, Hatayspor, were also shocked. “There are no words that can describe our sadness,” the Süper Lig club tweeted. The striker had scored his first goal for the club the day before the February 6 earthquake. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo was also dismayed: “Ghanaian football has lost one of its best ambassadors. It will be difficult to replace him.”
Atsu’s death is also likely to have legal repercussions. According to reports in the Turkish media, the twelve-story luxury residential building that collapsed on him was built ten years ago, circumventing several building regulations. The contractor responsible was arrested at the airport shortly before a planned trip from Istanbul to Podgorica in Montenegro.
Atsu’s professional career began twelve years ago at FC Porto. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the attacker was a regular player for the Ghanaian national team, and a year later he was voted the best player of the tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations.
