The date was February 5, 2023. Hatayspor needed a breakthrough in their Turkish Super Lig game against Kasimpasa. Coming in as an 82nd-minute substitute, Christian Atsu would go on to score with virtually the last kick of the game to seal a 1-0 win.
Atsu’s strike was celebrated widely by supporters of the club as well as the management, players and technical team of Hatayspor and the Ghanaian was ready to build on something positive after what was also his first goal for the club.
Little did everyone know that was just his way of saying goodbye to everyone around him. An unfortunate incident struck in the early hours of February 6, 2023; a devastating earthquake in which the Ghanaian was a victim.
The search for him lasted days as the death toll from the earthquake incident kept rising every time.
12 days after the incident, Atsu’s agent and manager, Nana Sechere, announced on social media that the body of the Ghana international had been recovered, a news that wrecked the hearts of many. Atsu was no more.
Two years after his untimely demise, the late Ghanaian professional footballer’s legacy lives on. A foundation to honour his memory, life and times is set to be launched.
The player’s family and erstwhile management team believe the time has come for the foundation to be started.
“The foundation is basically continuing with the good works that Christian started. We wanted to make sure he has his own entity that we can control and continue with his projects,” Nana Sechere told SuperSport through Lawrence Baidoo.
“Obviously, everyone has heard of the great works that Christian has done and we want to further those works. There are so many things we want to bring across but the most important is to make sure that his name lives on for the foreseeable future.”
Exactly 2 years ago, @iAmNana7 announced the body of Christian Atsu had been recovered days after an earthquake hit Turkey.
I spoke to him regarding plans to launch the Christian Atsu Memorial Foundation, which he says planning has been difficult without the player. pic.twitter.com/H4YlLSFvfI
— Lawrence Degraft Baidoo (@kweku_lawrence) February 18, 2025
For anyone who knew Atsu, there was more to his life than just the football played during his time. He loved giving and supported projects that meant he imparted lives.
For Nana Sechere, having to plan the opening of the foundation without the involvement of the deceased has been challenging.
“It’s been extremely difficult. However, the good thing is that everybody around me specifically knows Christian very well. I am his agent so I worked with him on several projects, it wasn’t just about football,” he added.
“I believe if Christian was here right now, he would be very pleased even with the name of the charity (Christian Atsu Foundation) and with everything that we have achieved thus far.”
The launch is set to happen after two years of his untimely passing.
While it may have taken two years to build on the project, Nana Sechere reveals they were careful not to rush the process.
“These processes take time. For me, I am all about making sure we have a solid foundation and not rushing through anything,” he continued.
“It’s important that when we do launch the foundation, we are sustainable and we are here to stay for longevity. There is no end goal for any charity or foundation so I feel like it’s the perfect timing.
“When I look back at all the processes that we went through, I’m quite surprised that we’ve been able to talk about Christian’s foundation.”
Following his departure from Ghana for greener pastures, Atsu’s career went through many clubs.
His impressive career saw him feature for nine clubs. Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Everton, FC Porto, Vitesse, Malaga, Al-Raed and Hatayspor were the clubs he represented.
Sechere says all of them are willing to help to ensure the success of the foundation.
“We have approached all of the clubs Christian has played for and been associated with when he was with us,” he confirmed.
“They are delighted, they want to continue to support us. We want to work together. There are a few projects coming up and we will be making the announcement on the two-year anniversary of his funeral. We have got quite a few clubs that we want to work with to establish even greater and a lot of the projects are going to happen in Ghana.”
Christian Atsu was a man for the people and a foundation in his honour will only be seen as a continuation of his selfless contribution to all around him.
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