Avram Grant disclosed that he became disturbed after he got informed that one Ghanaian player had been trapped in the earthquake in Turkey.
According to him, his anxiety grew worse after he got to know it was one of his former players, Chrisitan Atsu who had been trapped in the rubble.
As a result, the former Chelsea manager professed that he got into contact with Atsu’s manager and quickly alerted the Israeli search and rescue team dispatched to Turkey to help fetch Christian Atsu.
“I heard the news when it happened on day 1. I think after the earthquake they said it was a player from Ghana so I checked and people told me that it was Christian Atsu.
“I spoke to his agent and we tried to find a way, how to help his rescue. The rescue team was from my country so I sent them to check,” Avram Grant told George Addo Jnr.
Israel sent a delegation of more than 160 Israel Defense Forces which included paramedics and Fire and Rescue Service officials were sent to Turkey to rescue people who had been trapped in the rubble.
The 68-year-old manager stated that he had a big sigh of relief following reports that Christian Atsu had been found which turn out false.
“The news that maybe he was okay and they found him but it was as you know; it was not true but we were so happy to hear it and then day by day it became worse and worse until we found out,” Avram Grant said.
Grant disclosed that it was hard to deal with the news of Christian Atsu being found dead in the earthquake.
“It’s one of the saddest days that I had in my life you know. To hear that about Christian, 31 years old. Fantastic person — a good man — this is difficult. Difficult for me to speak about him now, he’s part of the past. It was really a shock, a big shock for me” he said.
Officers of the srael Defense Forces who stepped in to provide assistance to Turkey were able to rescue 19 civilians from the rubble in Turkey.
Christian Atsu’s body was found 12 days after the earthquake occurred in Turkey on February 6, 2023. He was part of 40,642 people who lost their lives in the earthquake in Turkey.
Avram Grant worked with Christian Atsu in the Black Stars and named him in his squad for the 2015 AFCON where the player won the Player of the Tournament.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
