THE body of Christian Atsu, the Ghanaian footballer, who died after an earthquake hit Turkey two weeks ago, has arrived in his country.
The body, which arrived in Accra late on Sunday, was carried away by members of Ghana’s armed forces.
The Hatayspor club player was found dead on Saturday under his home in southern Turkey.
The former Newcastle and Everton winger played 65 times for the Ghana Black Stars, helping the national team reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Speaking at Kotoka airport in the capital Accra, Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said: “We hoped against hope, every day that passed, we prayed and prayed. But alas, when he was found, he was no more.”
Bawumia added the late footballer was much loved and would be sorely missed. “It is a painful loss, a very painful one.”
He promised Atsu would be given a “befitting” burial.
Atsu’s face was shown on the big screen and away fans chanted “you’ll never walk alone”, before breaking into applause.
On Sunday, Ghana captain Mohammed Kudus paid tribute to his former teammate after scoring for Dutch side Ajax, removing his jersey to reveal a white shirt with “RIP Atsu” written on it.
