President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the State will give late Christian Atsu Twasam, the Ghana international forward, who perished in the earthquake in Turkiye, a State-assisted funeral.
The President made this known when the leadership of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ghana Football Association and family of the late Atsu paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House, Accra, to officially inform him of the death of the football legend.
Atsu, 31, until his death played for Turkish club, Hatayspor, in the Hatay province, which was hit hard by the quake.
Search teams recovered his lifeless body in the ruins of a luxury 12-storey building many days after the tragic incident.
Ghana’s President, earlier on his official Twitter account wrote: “Ghana football has lost one of its finest personnel and ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace. He will be sorely missed.”
According to the President, he had asked the Chief of Staff to ensure a State-assisted funeral for the late footballer on the date the family and the GFA would agree on.
“Everything will be done on the part of the government to make sure that he is given a dignified exit,” the President stressed.
He said he admired the deceased for his immense talent on the field and said he had paid his due to the football world.
The demise of the legend, he said, came as a shock to the nation, and consoled the family and the football fraternity on the loss.