Abraham Twasam, an uncle of Christian Atsu, has disclosed why the wife of the late Ghanaian footballer is not yet in Ghana.
Following the death of Christian Atsu, many anticipated the arrival of his wife, Maria Claire Rupio, in Ghana to receive visitors and perform the traditional roles of a bereaved wife.
However, Abraham Twasam explained that Maria Claire Rupio wanted to be in Ghana, but the family informed her to wait until the date for the funeral was determined.
Speaking in a recent interview, Atsu’s uncle professed that the family in Ghana is always in contact with Claire Rupio, who is based in the UK with their three children.
“His wife calls us every day. She calls us every morning to ask us what is going on. She always says the children worry her, so she is always calling us to hear from us,” Abraham Twasam stated.
“We’ve told her to wait until the funeral so she comes. We will give the children local names so that people will know they are from Ghana,” he added.
Ghanaians were thrown into a state of mourning on Saturday, February 18, after confirmation came that a body retrieved at a rescue site in Hatay, Turkey, was that of Christian Atsu.
The rescue team had been frantically looking for Christian Atsu after he went missing following an earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6.
His body was subsequently flown to Ghana, where a short ceremony was performed to welcome him into the country.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who was the leading government official at the ceremony, said the government was going to collaborate with the family to give Atsu a befitting funeral.
His family house in Accra has been the busiest, with ex-teammates, celebrities, and political figures thronging the place to pay their respects.'
His family has settled on March 4 as the day for the one-week observation.