The final funeral rites of late Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu Twasam, is scheduled for this Friday, March 17, at the forecourt of the State House.
This was disclosed by the spokesperson of the Twasam family, Robert Ann, at the one-week observation of the footballer held at the Adjiringanor Astro-Turf Park in Accra on Saturday.
According to him, the date was chosen after consultations with the Government and the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
“We had to collaborate with the government and the GFA to come out with a date that would be suitable to everyone and we settled on March 17,” he stated.
“Atsu’s demise is a big loss to Ghana and the football world at large and the government has promised to support the family to give him a befitting burial,” he stressed.
The solemn occasion saw dignitaries, former footballers and teammates, friends, family and sympathisers throng to the venue to eulogise the late footballer for his contribution to sports and humanity.
Notable among them were the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, President of the GFA, Kurt Okraku and other officials of the FA including General Secretary Proper Harrison Addo and Communications Director, Henry Asante Twum.
The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Peter Twumasi, astute football administrator George Afriyie, the Professional Footballers Association members which had former players including John Mensah, John Paintsil, Asamoah Gyan, Godwin Attram, Ibrahim Tanko and Sammy Kufuor among many others, were all in attendance.
In his address, Mr Ussif said they would continue to engage the family and other stakeholders to give Atsu a deserved exit.
“We lost a great personality who only did not contribute to football, but to humanity and would be remembered for his good works,” he stated.
“The entire nation is mourning, and we can only pray that Atsu is resting in a good place, while we would do our best to ensure his legacy remains.”
Some of the players also shared their fond memories of the late footballer and promised to assist the family give Atsu a befitting burial.
“He was selfless and gave everything he had to ensure the happiness of the entire group,” Asamoah Gyan said.
For his part, former captain of the Black Stars, Stephen Appiah, said: “We lost a great player who contributed his all for the success of the Black Stars when he had the chance to play and always wanted to make a difference.”
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
