Hatayspor coach speaks on his last encounter with Christian Atsu

Hatayspor coach, Volkan Demirel has recalled his last encounter with Christian Atsu, just hours before the devastating earthquake claimed the Ghanaian footballer’s life.

Atsu was among the thousands of people who died in the disaster that has left Hatay in complete disarray ever since.

He last played for Hataysport on the evening of February 5 where he scored what was his final goal in his career when the club beat Kasimpasa 1-0.

Demirel speaking in an interview revealed that he had interactions with Atsu during the week leading up to the former Black Stars attacker’s last game, in which he scored a late-minute winner.

“For two months he’d not played because of injury but in the week building up to the game he came to my office and said that he was ready to play. I told him that was good, but he wasn’t ready to start. In the last 10 minutes, we decided to put him on,” Demirel told The Athletic.

“In the last minute, we got a free-kick and I was telling him to cross it, but he told his teammates he was going to shoot, and he scored a beautiful free-kick.

“I was so happy for him because he’d been out for a while. He was a good player, but most importantly a good man, a good character, he helped everyone, he would always give money to staff. He had a very big heart.

“After the match, he said to me, ‘I want to keep playing’. The last time I saw him he was happy and then he was gone.”

Atsu was declared missing after the earthquake and was found dead nine days later. Demirel expressed his thoughts on the initial reports that incorrectly claimed Atsu had been found by rescuers.

“It was something that spread so quickly, somebody saw a guy they thought was Christian. We knew it was not true, I went nearly every morning to the buildings, other people were saying this and that.”

Atsu’s body was flown to Ghana on February 19 and he was buried at Ada Foah on March 17.