Almost two weeks after the violent earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, there is still no news of Christian Atsu. Although it was initially circulated that the footballer had been rescued alive from the rubble, after a few hours the version was denied from his surroundings and the whereabouts of the Ghanaian striker with a past in the Spanish Premier League and La Liga are still unknown.
As the search for the 31-year-old striker continues, a manager at Hatayspor, the Turkish club he played for, revealed that it was close to leaving the center of the earthquake only hours before it happened. What happened?
Atsu had not had the continuity he wanted at Hatayspor and spoke to the DT to find a new club. “Christian had spoken to the coach asking him if he could take a break after the match against Gaziantep: ‘If I find a team, can I leave?’ His request was accepted by Volkan Demirel and he did not play against Gaziantep“commented Fatih Ilek, manager of the Turkish team.
The Ghanaian striker did not play against Gaziantep but spent eight minutes on the pitch against Kasimpasa on 5 February, the day before the tragedy, and everything changed. “He was supposed to go to France to join his family, but when he played well and scored against Kasimpasa, he canceled his plane ticket. The earthquake occurred on his happiest day. He had a flight at 11pm, but he canceled the ticket. Then at 4 in the morning there was an earthquake. A tragedy” concluded the Hatayspor leader.
Your representative’s complaint
The Ghanaian figure is still missing after more than 10 days of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria. “We are still looking for Christian. We have asked AFAD (Directorate for Disaster and Emergency Management) to place his photo in all local and national hospitals,” said Nana Sechere, Christian Atsu’s representative.
The player’s agent is in Hatay province with the athlete’s family and asked for more resources to find him: “Things are moving incredibly slowly and as a result many relief efforts are delayed and lives are lost due to lack of resources available to workers. It is a pity that the club is not on the field with us, side by side, in the search for Christian“.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.