Representatives from Turkey's sporting bodies have joined together to appeal for donations after the recent tragic earthquakes during a live broadcast of the special programme 'Shoulder to Shoulder with Türkiye'.
BeIN Sports studios in Istanbul hosted a fund-raising appeal, with Türkiye’s Minister of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Football Federation, the Turkish Union of Clubs, BeIN Media Group and many others making dedicated appeals to support those affected.
The recent tragic earthquakes in Türkiye, which killed more than a thousand people and destroyed vast regions of the country, have led representatives of the nation’s sporting bodies and the wider football community to call for donations for temporary shelters and permanent housing.
During the five-hour live broadcast of the special programme Shoulder to Shoulder with Türkiye, TV host Acun Ilıcalı (ACUNMEDYA) was joined in the beIN Sports studios in Istanbul by international and local figures including the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu; President of Turkish Football Federation, Mehmet Büyükekşi; President of Clubs Union and Fenerbahçe, Ali Koç; PSG and France superstar Kylian Mbappé; Super Lig Club Presidents including Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Ahmet Nur Çebi, Dursun Özbek; head coaches Fatih Terim, Şenol Güneş, Mustafa Denizli, Jorge Jesus, Abdullah Avcı, Volkan Demirel, Andrea Pirlo, Vincenzo Montella; and football players Anastasios Bakasetas, Juan Mata, Enner Valencia, Rachid Ghezzal.
The event was broadcast across all sports channels in Türkiye, including beIN Sports; as well as being provided on a free-to-air basis to many other supporting broadcasting partners. It was coordinated through a coalition of sports organisations in Türkiye who wanted to play their part in the rebuilding of the disaster zone in the country, including the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Football Federation, the Turkish Union of Clubs and beIN Sports with Digiturk.
The event was a success, with more than 846m Turkish Lira ($44.79m) raised on the opening night of the campaign. The special programme was watched by millions across Türkiye, and was trending on social media throughout Wednesday night.
During the live broadcast, Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, said: “We always feel the unifying power of sports… As a result of our meetings with beIN, the official broadcaster of our football league, the Ministry of Youth and Sports can announce that in order to emphasise the unifying power of sports, the next two weeks of the Turkish Super League will be free-to-air for everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all donors of the campaign.”
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of beIN Media Group, added: “I would like to share my condolences with all my brothers and sisters in Türkiye, including the entire football family who have joined tonight’s campaign: the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Football Federation, presidents of the Turkish clubs, as well as players, coaches and fans. We share your pain with all our hearts. It is our duty to be with you, and we are trying to do all we can to help. I am watching from here what a great campaign you have done as part of shoulder-to-shoulder. I hope the situation will be better very soon.”
Mehmet Büyükekşi, President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), stated: “All football stakeholders support the campaign and I would like to invite everyone to donate to the ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ campaign. We did not come together for just one night. This campaign will continue for many more months. Friendly matches will be held to support the campaign. And we will organise many events within the scope of the campaign until the Champions League final in Istanbul.”
Ali Koç, President of the Turkish Union of Clubs, concluded: “I would like to thank TFF, our league’s official broadcaster beIN Sports and our clubs for contributing to the realisation of this organisation. I hope this spirit of solidarity will be permanent.”
The campaign will continue until 15 June 2023.
