Marie-Claire Rupio, the wife of the late Black Stars player Christian Atsu, revealed to UK outlet The Athletic that she still sends WhatsApp messages to her deceased husband.
She admitted to questioning Atsu at times about why he is no longer alive and also mentioned messaging him when their children inquired about him.
Rupio, who is Portuguese, expressed that she does not have a specific coping mechanism and emphasised the mental challenges she faces, stating that she simply tries to navigate through each day.
“When people say, ‘How are you coping?’ I don’t cope. I just survive every day,” says Claire. “Mentally, you’re fine for a few days, maybe a week, but then lots of emotion comes.
“Sometimes I message Christian on WhatsApp; I just need to let it out,” she says. “‘Why are you not here?’ or maybe one of the kids needs him.”
Narrating how she received the news of her husband’s passing, she said Atsu’s agent, Nana Sechere, informed her at 3 a.m. while sobbing.
“It was around 3 am on Saturday, and when I saw Nana’s name come up on my phone.
“I picked up and he was just crying. He said, ‘I’m so sorry’, and he couldn’t say anything more.”
It has been a year since Christian Atsu passed away tragically due to an earthquake in Turkey. The former Black Stars player was trapped under rubble for approximately three days before rescuers found him lifeless on February 8, 2023. I knew: this is it.”
Claire was left traumatised and could not figure out how to tell the kids about their father’s passing on the spot.
“I needed to figure out how I was going to tell my kids that their dad was gone. It was terrible; there was so much going through my mind.”
She could not tell the kids right away, but she had to take them out for practice during the day and asked the coaches not to show signs that Atsu had passed.
“One of the coaches just came up to me and gave me a hug, but I told him just to be normal, as I hadn’t told them yet. They were awaiting good news when I sat them down and then I looked at them.
Claire had to let the cat out of the bag anyway; hence, she proceeded to do what she wished ‘no parent has to do’.
“I told them, ‘They have found your dad, but he didn’t make it’. It’s something I wish no parent had to do. It was heartbreaking; he was everything to them. Losing anyone is difficult, but we couldn’t even say goodbye.”
It has been a year since Christian Atsu passed away tragically due to an earthquake in Turkey. The former Black Stars player was trapped under rubble for approximately three days before rescuers found him lifeless on February 8, 2023.