The Ghana Football Association has asked fans to “pray” for former Chelsea and Newcastle forward Christian Atsu, who has reportedly been trapped under rubble caused by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey.
Both Atsu, 31, and his Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut were left under rubble after the quake, leading Turkish sport presenter Yağız Sabuncuoğlu reported.
Hatayspor is the main club in Hatay, one of the cities affected by the 7.5 quake that has killed at least 2,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
The Ghana FA said in a Tweet that “We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.”
“We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hatayspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation,” it added.
Newcastle have also tweeted to add their prayers for: “Some positive news.”
Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20. 🙏🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/HQT6yZOmRB
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 6, 2023
Atsu, who has 65 caps for Ghana, spent the majority of his club career in England where he signed for Chelsea in September 2013.
The winger was loaned to a host of clubs including Everton, Bournemouth and Newcastle United, for whom he signed permanently in 2017.
We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hataspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation. 1/2
— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) February 6, 2023