President Nana Akufo-Addo has assured the family of Christian Atsu that government is ready to support the burial of the former Ghana winger.
Atsu, who made over 60 appearances for the Black Stars, has been confirmed dead following an earthquake that struck the country two weeks ago.
With the 31-year-old’s one week expected to be held on March 4, President Akufo-Addo on Monday, February 27, held a meeting with the family of the deceased winner to discuss matters relating to the funeral of the player.
At the meeting, President Akufo-Addo stressed that government will support the date and any other decision on the funeral that will be decided by the family.
President Akufo-Addo said he has instructed the chief of staff at the office of the President, Madam Akosua Frema Osei Opare, to liaise with the family, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to ensure that the decision of government is executed.
“Our responsibility is to give you as much support as we can. We can never erase the loss of this very brilliant man, but there it is. I always console myself with the fact that, at the end of the day, no matter the circumstances, the Almighty will call each one of us one by one, and perhaps, that was his [Christian Atsu] destiny that he is called in this tragic way,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“The Ghanaian people must express their appreciation for the work that he did for our nation and the contribution he made to the development of the game and to the development of sports in general.
“So, I have asked the chief of staff who unfortunately is outside Accra today, to make sure that we organize a state-assisted funeral for Christian Atsu, depending on the date that you the members of the family and GFA will select,” he added.
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President Akufo-Addo noted that the state will do everything within its power to ensure that Christian Atsu is given a dignified exit.
He asked the family to work closely with his office in choosing a date for the funeral because he would like to personally be present at the funeral to pay his last respects to the late Black Stars player.
Christian Atsu’s body arrived in Ghana on February 19 from Turkey and has been in the morgue since.
The date for the funeral will then be announced.
Atsu is famously remembered for winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] best player of the tournament.