In the 84th minute, Mohammed Kudus scored from the free-kick to seal a 4-0 victory for Ajax. After the goal, the striker born in 2000 took off his shirt to celebrate and revealed the words “Rest in peace, Atsu”.
By law, any act of taking off their shirt to celebrate for any reason will be subject to a yellow card. However, referee Van Boekel broke the rules. He did not give Kudus a penalty card and even went to encourage the Ghanaian player.
Kudus is grateful to Atsu.
Kudus wanted to remember his compatriot Christian Atsu. Former Newcastle star has just died in an earthquake in Turkey. Atsu had been missing since February 6 and was found dead in the rubble 12 days later. His body was brought back to his hometown of Ghana to be handled by his family.
Sharing after the game, Kudus said: “Van Boekel said that I am not allowed to take off my shirt to celebrate but this is an exception. There are things bigger than football.”
During his lifetime, Atsu had a kind heart. He is always looking for ways to help those in need. According to journalist Owuraku Ampofo, who collaborates with Opta, Atsu often brings a large bag containing a lot of football shoes when returning home. He donates all to charities. When driving at a red light in Ghana, Atsu also gives money to street beggars.
As soon as he became a famous soccer star and had a better life, he started building schools, hospitals and community projects. In a recent interview, Atsu couldn’t hold back her tears when talking about the children in Ghana who were homeless, orphaned, abused, affected by HIV/AIDS and at risk of being trafficked. .
Newcastle fans are raising money to build a school in Ghana to honor the player’s contributions to the North East English club.
Tuan Nguyen | 05:15 21/02/2023
