‘I was shocked, it was hard to believe’ – Christian Atsu’s wife recounts difficult moment

Marie-Claire Rupio, the partner of the late Christian Atsu, expressed her disbelief upon learning of her husband’s death six months after his tragic passing.

Atsu, who had signed with Hatayspor in Turkey last September, was separated from his family in Newcastle. Rupio’s last conversation with him was on Saturday, 4 February, as he prepared for a match against Kasimpasa the next day. They planned to speak again on Monday.

Following his stoppage-time goal that secured victory, Atsu messaged Rupio to share the news. Little did they know it would be their final exchange.

On the following Monday, Rupio heard about an earthquake on the radio while driving. She initially struggled to accept that such an event could happen where Atsu was located.

“I didn’t believe that it could happen in a place [where] he would be,” she said. “As a human being, you think this can’t happen to you or anybody you love.

“I was like ‘he’s fine and he will call’,” she recalled. However, her perspective shifted when Atsu’s sister contacted her to reveal that his building had collapsed. The news was shocking and difficult to process.

Subsequent news reports added to the confusion surrounding Atsu’s situation. His club’s vice-president initially stated that he had been “removed from the wreckage with injuries” on 7 February. The next day, his agent Nana Sechere contradicted this, indicating that Atsu’s whereabouts remained uncertain.

Rupio, choosing to hold onto hope, appealed for additional equipment to aid in clearing the rubble, believing her husband was still alive. She relied on updates from Atsu’s agent and sister and shielded their children from conflicting reports.

“I didn’t really read any news,” said Rupio. “I relied on his agent, Nana, and his sister.

While the rollercoaster of news was unsettling, Rupio maintained a positive outlook for the sake of her family, saying, “Our children heard from their school that he has been found and then they came home and heard on the radio again that he hasn’t been found. It wasn’t nice, but I told them he might be found because you still want to believe [in] the positive outcome.”