On Sunday, during a game between Beşiktaş and Antalyaspor, soccer fans threw stuffed animals onto the field as a sign of sympathy for children affected by the earthquake in Turkey.
The game was paused at four minutes and 17 seconds to coincide with the timing of the earthquake that occurred in southeast Turkey on February 6 at 4:17 a.m. local time.
Stuffed Toys Rain Down on Field During Turkey Soccer Match
During the game at Vodafone Park, supporters flooded the stadium with teddy bears and other stuffed toys of all shapes and sizes.
Beşiktaş will provide them to the youngsters affected by the earthquake, which has claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria. CNN reported that the scoreboard screen revealed the license plate numbers of the eleven earthquake-affected provinces of Turkey as players rushed to get the stuffed toys.
In opposition to the government's perceived tardiness and inadequate response to the accident, some Besiktas supporters also screamed, "government resign." People in certain places claimed that there were no coordinated relief operations and that it took a long time to retrieve hundreds of dead, which spread the stink of death.
Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the coalition partner of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, demanded that soccer matches be played without spectators in response to the anti-government shouts. He also terminated his membership with Beşiktaş. On Saturday, Fenerbahçe supporters also shouted phrases demanding the government's resignation.
Around the 4-minute and 17-second mark of the Turkish Super Lig game in Istanbul's Vodafone Park, Besiktas fans were allowed to throw the donated toys and winter clothes onto the field as a solemn homage to the first earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6 at 4:17 a.m.
Afterward, the team shared a video of workers packing the gifts into plastic bags for delivery. Besiktas planned the "This toy is my friend" event to provide "morale to the children" affected by the earthquakes.
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Residents Become Dissatisfied With Turkey Government's Response
The publication also said that throughout the game, supporters joined in anti-government chants directed at Turkey's reaction to the earthquakes, which many people have deemed to be insufficient.
According to the Associated Press, the earthquakes in Turkey resulted in "direct physical damages" worth $34.2 billion, or 4% of the nation's GDP. Three weeks after the terrible earthquake that struck the area, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck a southern section of the nation on Monday claimed the life of one person.
Meanwhile, Erdogan has appealed to the residents of a highly quake-stricken region of Turkey for patience as rescue efforts continue to be delayed, amidst increasing dissatisfaction about the government's reaction.
On a visit to Adiyaman, Erdogan stated that the earthquakes and terrible weather prevented him from working as efficiently as desired. "For this, I beg your pardon," he said.
A fresh, little earthquake has struck Turkey. At least one person died and more than 100 were injured in Malatya province, north of Adiyaman. Search and rescue personnel were attempting to locate several individuals suspected to be trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Erdogan, who is running for re-election as president in the June elections, has been traveling to some of the hardest-hit regions. His visit to Adiyaman followed locals' harsh criticism of the emergency response. The tragedy rendered 1.5 million people homeless; tens of thousands now need housing or sanitation. Tents are in scant supply for survivors.
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