Sport is on hiatus in Turkey. PANORAMIC
The Turkish authorities have suspended sports competitions in the country “until further notice” following the violent earthquake in the south-east of the country, announced the Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports.
«Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu has announced that all national sports competitions have been suspended until further notice due to the earthquake“Wrote the minister in a press release posted on his Twitter account.
Three matches of the 23rd day of the SüperLig, the Turkish football championship, were to take place on Monday: two in Istanbul, Ümraniyespor-Adana Demirspor and Fenerbahçe-Konyaspor, and the third in the east of the country by the sea Black, Giresunspor-Kayserispor. They have been postponed to an unspecified date, the Turkish Football Federation announced.
The clubs in support of all the country
«You know, I come from Gaziantep (near the epicenter, editor’s note). I know the area well“, declared the president of the authority, Mehmet Büyükeksi. “As the president of the Turkish Football Federation, we stand with our state and our nation. Today we must act more than ever in unity to heal our wounds together“, he added.
On their social networks, most Turkish football clubs, whose profiles and banners are adorned in black, sent messages of condolence and support to the victims of the disaster. Initiatives have also been announced by the sports world, such as the blood drive organized Tuesday morning by the Red Crescent at the Besiktas stadium, in the eponymous district of Istanbul.
The two other major Istanbul clubs, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, have announced that they are setting up collections of food, equipment, clothing and hygiene kits for the areas affected by the earthquake. Donations are to be brought to the stadiums of both clubs.
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