As Turkey recovers from earthquakes, the world’s biggest soccer stars pitch in
In the wake of this week’s massive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that left more than 23,000 people dead, Turkish soccer player Merih Demiral announced a fundraising effort that has attracted support from some of his sport’s biggest names.
Demiral, a defender for Italian club Atalanta and the Turkish national team, on Tuesday solicited donations to relief efforts through his professional esports outfit, Team Demiral. Later that day, Demiral said he spoke with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Serie A counterparts Leonardo Bonucci and Paulo Dybala, who offered signed jerseys that will be auctioned off with proceeds donated to a nonprofit aiding earthquake disaster relief.
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Demiral’s cast of high-profile contributors has grown throughout this week. On Wednesday, he said Atlético Madrid stars Antoine Griezmann and Álvaro Morata donated signed jerseys, and Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and teammate Dejan Kulusevski, on loan from Juventus, did the same.
By Friday, the donor roster expanded to include the sport’s biggest names: Manchester City standouts Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne; Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard; and Paris Saint-Germain stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. As of Friday afternoon, Ronaldo’s jersey, which is now sold, fetched the highest bid at around $212,450.
Demiral’s fundraiser comes as others around the soccer world have sought to aid relief efforts.
The Union of European Football Associations on Friday donated 200,000 euros (around $214,000) to support humanitarian efforts in Turkey and Syria. It also announced a 150,000 euro donation (around $160,000) to the Turkish Football Federation and 50,000 euros (close to $54,000) to two organizations helping disaster response in southern Turkey and Syria.
UEFA called for a moment of silence ahead of its club competition matches next week. The governing body said it will explore other fundraising activities during the week of this season’s Champions League final, which is scheduled to take place in Istanbul in June.
Quake toll passes 23,000 as search continues in Turkey, Syria
“UEFA is making this initial donation to help the immediate humanitarian response to this horrendous tragedy,” President Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.
The Premier League on Friday pledged a 1 million pound donation (around $1.2 million) to assist earthquake victims, and Canadian men’s national team defender Sam Adekugbe urged donations through the Canadian Red Cross or Ahbap, the Turkish organization to which Demiral said he will donate jersey auction proceeds.
The earthquake hit particularly close to home for Adekugbe, whose club team Hatayspor plays in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, which was devastated by the earthquakes. Hatayspor withdrew from the Turkish Super Lig season, according to Reuters. Midfielder Christian Atsu reportedly remains missing, as does the club’s sporting director Taner Savut.
Adekugbe on Wednesday told reporters that he hosted Atsu and other teammates at his home following a Sunday night match, hours before the earthquake hit before dawn local time Monday morning. He expressed concern for Atsu’s whereabouts and said less well-known individuals around the team have also been deeply affected.
“It’s not just that, it’s also people who work around the team,” Adekugbe said. “People who work in the kitchen, one of my kit men, it just turned up that he died. One of the ladies who works in the kitchen, she lost her daughters and her mother. One of my other kit men, his wife, she needs urgent medical care, but because the hospital is destroyed, she doesn’t have it.
“Of course, I’m thankful that a lot of my teammates have been found, but the people that do help the team, the people who work around the club, they still have loved ones that are missing and unaccounted for.”
