Almost three weeks after the disaster, soccer returned to Turkey

19 days after the tragic earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude that caused the death of more than 50,000 people, the Turkish Football Super League resumed with four games on a weekend in which tributes and emotion outweighed goals.

The match that marked the return involved Fenerbahçe, one of the largest clubs and which in recent weeks followed the line of the Football Federation by focusing its help mainly on affected children: the Istanbul institution actively participated in a massive toy donation campaign and arranged for young people who suffered close losses to enter the court with the players. Even a girl affected by the earthquake shared a video call with midfielder Irfan Kahveci, one of the three Turks who started the match. In turn, the Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium, which yesterday was the scene of the 4-0 win against Konyaspor, provided itself as one of the main epicenters in which people were able to bring their collaboration closer.

In the preview of the match, the focus was on the joint message of the presidents of different clubs, who, led by the head of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Mehmet Büyükekşi, ratified the international campaign “Shoulder to Shoulder” (“Omuz Omuza” in Turkish), which will be launched on March 1 through a collection of massive donations and other activities, such as the auction of the shirts of Messi, Mbappé and Neymar, which will be broadcast simultaneously various media. In addition to PSG and many other clubs and players, the global initiative is supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and a host of local and international media. It will run until June 15.

The three outstanding matches that completed Saturday and Sunday were Giresunspor 1—2 Kayserispor, Ümraniyespor 1—1 Adana Demirspor and Beşiktaş 0—0 Antalyaspor. In all of them, there was time and space for a minute of silence and the intonation of the Turkish national anthem. The accompanying children wore a black t-shirt with the inscription “Get better soon, Turkey” (“Geçmiş olsun Türkiyem”). Banners displayed by the players and flags in the stands with affectionate phrases were displayed. Goal celebrations with dedications to loved ones and flower deliveries for referees and coaches who were closely affected by the earthquake were present. In addition, many of the fans threw garments such as scarves or hats from the stands and into the sky, which fell on the side of the playing field.

Turkey’s first division suffered the withdrawal of Hatayspor and Gaziantep FK, whose respective cities make up the painful list of those most devastated by the natural disaster. The first of the two clubs mourned the resounding deaths of their Ghanaian soccer player Christian Atsu and their sports director Taner Savut. Apart from football, the death of Cemal Küthaya, captain of the men’s national handball team, and his five-year-old son Çinar under the rubble hit Olympic sport hard.

Football, the greatest passion in Turkey, led the revival of the sport. Before the return of the Super League, Trabzonspor had already hosted Basel in the Conference League on February 16, a clash in which the work of rescuers and volunteers was mainly highlighted. Basketball and volleyball, for instance, would resume their course in the upcoming weeks. For its part, in Syria, the other country hit by the cataclysm, the course of the main sports competitions has not yet been revived; the return of football is scheduled for next weekend, with the latent possibility of a further delay.