CHRISTIAN ATSU’S fiancee has opened up on the heartbreak of dealing with the death of the former Premier League star.
Atsu, who had previously played for Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton in England, was starring for Hatayspor in Turkey when an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck on February 6 2023.
The apartment building Atsu was in collapsed before a second earthquake of equal strength hit hours later, hitting an area of 140,000 square miles across southern Turkey and Syria, killing at least 60,000 people.
After a desperate 12-day search, Hatayspor manager Murat Uzunmehmet announced Atsu’s body had been found in the rubble.
One year on from the tragedy, Atsu’s fiancee and mother of their three kids Claire Rupio has now opened up on the tragedy and how it has impacted their lives since.
The day before the earthquake Atsu had scored a late winner for Hatayspor, with Claire detailing how he had called the family in their Newcastle home before the game.
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Speaking to The Athletic, she said: “He’d called the kids before the game. Then after the game we’d spoken to congratulate him on the goal.
“It was just normal, he was supposed to call on Monday, but he didn’t.”
The next call Claire received was from Atsu’s twin sister Christiana Atsupie Twasam, who herself had been informed of the news by Atsu’s close friend and agent Nana Sechere.
Claire said: “I heard it on the radio first when I was driving them to school and I thought it’s Turkey, but he’ll be fine, nothing will happen to him, that would be absurd.
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“Then I saw a lot of missed calls from Christiana after I’d dropped the kids and I thought, ‘What’s happening?’
“I called her back and she said, ‘His building has collapsed’. I was in shock, I thought, ‘That can’t be true’. I had to take the children out of school before it finished; I didn’t want them to hear it from anybody else.
Christian Atsu scored incredible goal just hours before ex-Chelsea and Newcastle player reported missing in Turkey earthquake
“I told them there had been an earthquake where Daddy was playing and they haven’t found him yet. They deserved the respect to know everything. They were very upset and crying. I tried to stay positive and tell them he will be fine.”
Hope came through when reports – confirmed by the Ghana FA and a Hatayspor official – said Atsu had been rescued and was in hospital. But this would prove not to be the case.
Nana explained: “I spoke to someone I trusted who said he hadn’t seen Christian and had been to the hospitals. That’s when alarm bells started to ring.”
Nana and Christiana had both joined the search for Atsu in Turkey along with older brother Isaac and close friend Katalin Comoe, where they tragically confirmed he had been killed.
In the middle of the night they received a call, with Nana, accompanied to the site by Isaac, saying: “They had found a body they strongly thought was Christian.
“Two officials took us to a body bag lying on the floor,” he says. “We had seen so many, that even before they were opened (we knew they) weren’t the right shape or size for Christian.
“But I could tell by the shape of it that it was Christian. We saw him and we broke down.”
He then called Claire to inform her, with Claire saying: “It was around 3am on Saturday, and when I saw Nana’s name come up on my phone I knew: this is it.
“I picked up and he was just crying. He said, ‘I’m so sorry’, and he couldn’t say anything more.
“I needed to figure out how I was going to tell my kids that their dad is gone. It was terrible, there was so much going through my mind.”
After taking them to football practice, Claire then revealed how she broke the news to Joshua (nine), Godwin (six) and Abigail (three).
She said: “I told them, ‘They have found your dad, but he didn’t make it’. It’s something I wish no parent has to do.
“It was heartbreaking, he was everything to them. Losing anyone is difficult, but we couldn’t even say goodbye.”
Atsu’s body was flown back to Ghana for the funeral in the capital city of Accra, where he was given a military guard of honour.
Claire attended with the children, and said of the funeral: “There was so much support and love showed to him.
“There were people with his face on T-shirts and everyone was very welcoming. I love the culture and how they celebrate (someone’s life) with dancing and singing.”
Atsu’s body lay in state for the public to pay their respects.
Claire added: “I didn’t want the kids to have that as the last image of him and they respected that, so we walked past with our heads down. I couldn’t really process it; I just went through it.”
She continued: “When people say, ‘How are you coping?’ I don’t cope. I just survive every day. Mentally, you’re fine for a few days, maybe a week, but then lots of emotion comes.
“Sometimes I message Christian on WhatsApp — I just need to let it out. ‘Why are you not here?’ or maybe one of the kids needs him.”
Atsu would have celebrated his 32nd birthday on January 10, with the month proving to be “very emotional” for Claire.
The same goes for Christiana, who says she broke down on a visit to Chester.
She said: “I went to Chester. But I broke down there. He was not there.
“I know grieving has five stages, but I don’t know where I am at the moment. Sometimes I’m in denial, sometimes acceptance, it fluctuates and I feel like I’m not progressing.
“I’ve lost my mum and my dad, but Christian leaving has had more impact on me than anything.”
Atsu’s charitable work in Ghana is being commemorated in March with the Christian Atsu Memorial Foundation.
He had built a school and was funding a number of other projects.
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There are other plans to honour his legacy too, with Nana saying: “I want to do that through football.
“I want to make sure his name is not forgotten and it’s kept alive in Ghana and beyond.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
