Beşiktaş J.K. 0–0 Antalyaspor (2023)

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On 26 February 2023, a football game of the Turkish Süper Lig between Beşiktaş J.K. from Istanbul and Antalyaspor from Antalya took place at the Vodafone Park in Istanbul.[1] During the match, fans threw stuffed toys on the pitch for children affected by the Turkey–Syria earthquakes earlier that month.[2][3]

Background[edit]

Main article: 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes

On 6 February 2023, a series of powerful earthquakes hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, causing over 45,000 deaths.[4] The Turkish government was criticized for its insufficient response to the earthquake by fans of Fenerbahçe S.K. and Beşiktaş.[5]

Match[edit]

The match was stopped at 4 minutes and 17 seconds, in memory of the victims of the earthquake which took place at 04:17 (TRT).[3] Fans hurled toys, berets and scarves on the football pitch as a show of support for children affected in the earthquake region, while the names of the affected provinces were displayed on the stadium billboard.[3][6] The move, which was called "this toy is my friend", was organized by the fans themselves prior to the match, when the toys were distributed among them in a coordinated manner.[4]

Fans also called on the Turkish government to resign.[1][7] They protested over the lack of responses the government gave in the aftermath of the earthquake.[6] A video from the online news portal Haber depicted protesters being expelled from the tribune by the police.[6]

Aftermath[edit]

Gürsel Tekin announced that he would pay Beşiktaş J.K. the dues of the politicians who cancelled their memberships of the club.

Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, fiercely criticized calls for the government to resign and canceled his membership of Beşiktaş.[7] MPs Sermet Ay and Semih Yalçın of the MHP and Yavuz Subaşı of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) also made similar moves in support of the government.[7] Gürsel Tekin, a Republican Peoples Party (CHP) lawmaker, said that he would pay Beşiktaş the dues of the politicians who cancelled their memberships.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Besiktas fans throw toys on to pitch for children affected by earthquake". The Guardian. 27 February 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ^ Burton, Chris (26 February 2023). "WATCH: Besiktas fans throw thousands of stuffed toys onto pitch as donation to children impacted by Turkish earthquakes | Goal.com". Goal. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Soccer-Besiktas fans throw toys on field for children affected by earthquake". Swissinfo. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Besiktas fans throw toys onto pitch in support of those affected by earthquakes". ca.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ Wilks, Andrew (28 February 2023). "Sports stadiums shake as fans bash Turkey's earthquake response - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". Al Monitor. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Türkische Fußball-Fans protestieren – und fordern Erdogans Rücktritt". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Football clubs, MPs announce support for government after fans' earthquake protests". Bianet. 27 February 2023.
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