Covid-19: Lee Addy and stranded Ghanaian footballers evacuated from Ethiopia by Gov’t

Lee Addy (C) Getty Image

The former Berekum Chelsea man is among a contingent to have touched down in Accra after receiving help from the government of Ghana.

The frustrated footballers who were stuck in Ethiopia due to the coronavirus pandemic have been evacuated back to Ghana after calling for help.

In June, a viral social media video showed over 20 players outside the Ghanaian High Commission in Ethiopia calling on the government of Ghana for evacuation after allegedly failing to get help from the Ghanaian consulate in Addis Ababa.

Stranded Ghanaian Footballers including national star Lee Addy have been airlifted home today , after an SOS message….In all, 18 players and 12 others arrived at their quarantine base for the Mandatory 14 day exercise..Thanks to the staff of the FA ,my colleague FA Presidents in Ethiopia,Togo , our sports Minister , Ministry of foreign affairs, and the National Security for a good job well done…

Posted by Kurt E. S. Okraku on Friday, July 17, 2020

 

The group was led by former Berekum Chelsea defender Lee Addy, who represented Ghana at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“Stranded Ghanaian footballers including national star Lee Addy have been airlifted home today, after an SOS message,” Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Edwin Kurt Okraku posted on social media on Saturday.

“In all, 18 players and 12 others arrived at their quarantine base for Mandatory 14-day exercise.

“Thanks to the staff of the FA, my colleague FA President in Ethiopia, our Sports Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Security for a good job. Well done.”

Former Asante Kotoko and Medeama goalkeeper Muntari Tagoe, Kweku Andoh, Latif Mohammed, Rahim Osman, Tuffour Frimpong and Aaron Amoah were among 22 players stranded in Ethiopia.

“We paid for our ticket cost but the government played a major role in terms of organization. We the senior players paid for some of the players who couldn’t afford the cost,” Addy told OTEC FM.

“Three players were left behind because they needed to negotiate with their clubs for contract renewals. We came straight to Prampram with some students who were also stranded in Addis Ababa and South Africa.

“We are pleased what the government and the GFA have done for us, in fact, we didn’t expect them to help us this way.”

Source: Goal.com