Ghanaian preacher and singer, Sonnie Badu, has taken a swipe at the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for coercing several players into early retirement, including the late Christian Atsu.

His opinions were expressed in an open letter to the GFA on his Facebook page following retired Black Stars player Christian Atsu’s funeral and burial.

According to the gospel musician, he had heard people refer to Christian Atsu as the Messi of Ghana. Yet, he was baffled why the player did not make the Black Stars squad, describing the actions of the football administration as distressing.

A part of the preacher’s open letter to the GFA read:
“A final resting place has been found for dear @chris_atsu. But allow me to say this. Let this be a mental and behavioural transformation. I am certain that our chairman, @ghana_fa_official, would act differently”.

Sonnie Badu went on to mention how Christian Atsu was forced to retire from the Black Stars by 31, while Lionel Messi, the PSG star and Argentina captain, won the World Cup in Qatar at age 35.

“Well, you people got rid of him fast, and Messi is still competing at the World Cup. Astu was 31 and Messi is 35. Let’s figure out how to make players feel valued while they’re still around. We shouldn’t wait till they pass away before we cover their burial costs and everything else” he continued.

Meanwhile, the former Black Stars winger Christian Atsu was laid to rest, on March 17.

The burial service took place at the forecourt of the State House in Accra and he was buried in his hometown, Dogobome on Saturday, March 18.

Read Sonnie Badu’s letter to the GFA below: