Turkish football fans have been donating thousands of toys to help children affected by the deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria. During Sunday’s Super Lig game between Besiktas and Antalyaspor at the Vodafone Park stadium in Istanbul, play was stopped for four minutes to allow fans to throw their gifts onto the pitch.
Toys are a symbol of hope
Fans of Turkish football club Besiktas threw thousands of toys onto the pitch during a match against Antalyaspor in support of children affected by the earthquakes that hit Turkey earlier this month. The game, which ended 0-0, was stopped after four minutes and 17 seconds to allow fans to throw the gifts on the field.
These toys are a symbol of hope for the people who were affected by the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria. They are also a reminder of the Christmas spirit and how much joy they bring to children around the world.
Besiktas fans threw toys on the pitch during a Super Lig clash against Antalyaspor to support the victims of the earthquake. The match was paused after four minutes and 17 seconds in memory of the first earthquake that struck on February 6 at 4:17am local time.
The donations are part of Green Hope’s Black Falcons’ initiative to help children in need this holiday season. The group has teamed up with the Marine Toys for Tots program to collect new, unopened toys that will be given to families in need.
They are a sign of solidarity
Fans of Turkish soccer team Besiktas threw thousands of toys onto the pitch during a match against Antalyaspor in a show of solidarity with children affected by the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and neighbouring Syria earlier this month. The match, which ended 0-0, was paused after four minutes and 17 seconds to allow fans to throw gifts to children in the region.
Besiktas supporters organized the initiative after noticing that children living in the quake-hit areas were in need of some joy and comfort. They threw scarves, berets and plush toys to children on the ground of Vodafone Park, which is home to Besiktas, to cheer them up.
The initiative was not the first time Besiktas fans have thrown toys on to the pitch, with their supporters also donating to the victims of the 2011 Van earthquake in Turkey. However, the match on Sunday was one of the most public expressions of solidarity that soccer fans have displayed in recent weeks.
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They are a message of support
As Turkey and Syria struggle to cope with a series of devastating earthquakes, soccer fans across the world have been doing their part to help. In Istanbul, Besiktas fans flooded Vodafone Park with thousands of toys during a match against Antalyaspor Sunday in a gesture of support for the children affected by the earthquakes.
After Besiktas drew 0-0, play was stopped and the fans were allowed to throw their gifts onto the pitch. Besiktas’s club statement read: “Our fans threw scarves, berets and plush toys on the ground of Vodafone Park to be given as a gift to the children in the earthquake region to cheer them up.”
The move is a reminder of how football can play an important role in helping people in need. In Newtown, Connecticut, the traumatic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was marked by a mass influx of stuffed animals.
They are a protest
During a Super Lig match against Antalyaspor, Turkish football fans threw thousands of toys on the pitch to donate to children affected by the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. The game was paused at four minutes and 17 seconds to correspond with the time the first earthquake struck Turkey, which occurred at 4:17 a.m local on February 6.
The gesture was met with anger from Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is an ally to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP. He called the protests “irresponsible” and “dirty politics.”
After the Besiktas game, Bahceli announced he would resign his membership from the club. His five deputies also followed suit, according to media reports.
Source: بين ماتش
