A BOLA – A Game Full of Emotions: “The Biggest Tragedy I’ve Ever Known” (Turkey)

Emotional moments passed at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, in Istanbul, in the match between Fenerbahce and Konyaspor, on Saturday, which witnessed the return of the Turkish Superliga, after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that caused more than 50,000 victims in Turkey and Syria. (the fifth deadliest country in the world over the past 20 years) on the sixth day.

Several messages of solidarity appeared in the crowded stands. Many spectators wore scarves from other teams, especially Hatayspor, the club that has seen seven confirmed victims, including Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu (31), former FC Porto player and champion in 2013. Hatayspor, for which they also played Portuguese Rubén Ribeiro And Cape Verde Z Luis (such as Gil Vicente, Braga and Porto), withdrew from the First Division, as did Gaziantep (reserved for the next season), the clubs most affected by the earthquake and its center in Kahramanmaras.

“It is the greatest tragedy I have ever known. I would like to express my condolences to the Turkish people. This incident has social, economic, cultural and sporting consequences. I regret that Hatayspor and Gaziantep cannot continue to compete. I am sorry for everyone, “stressed Fenerbahçe’s assistant coach, João de Dios, Who replaced Jorge Jesus on the bench, who served in the match suspension after being sent off at the end of the match, away, against Adana Demirspor (1 -1) XXII in the second round.

In the warm-up period, Fenerbahçe players wore special jerseys. “Let it be the past, my Turkey”, can be read in the preface; The message on the back appears, “To grieve our wounds together.” The cities affected by the earthquake are written on the back of the main equipment T-shirts. The name of captain and goalkeeper Altay Bayender is listed in Turkey. And the referees were keen to take part in the tributes before the match, displaying T-shirts with pictures and names of Turkish Football Federation officials who lost their lives in the country’s worst earthquake since 1939.

Another striking scenario was the Fenerbahçe players entering the field along with the children affected by the earthquake, while the names of the Fenerbahçe fans who died in the aftermath of the tragedy were shown on the stadium screens. And the club went down to the stadium, via a live broadcast tablet, rescued the seven-year-old fan, Elif, from the rubble, in Adiyaman, in the Trabzon region.

All of Turkey is united so that the country can return to normal as possible. “All eyes will be filled with hope. The most beautiful tomorrow will be ours,” which is another of the most powerful thoughts transmitted in the stands.