After the earthquake disaster, no sporting events will take place in Turkey for the time being. Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu announced via Twitter on Monday afternoon that “all national sports organizations will be suspended until further notice”.
The Turkish Football Association TFF had previously canceled all games and expressed its condolences to those affected by the disaster.
According to official information, at least 2,300 people were killed in the severe earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border region, and thousands of buildings collapsed in south-eastern Turkey alone. The number of injured is in the five-digit range, and several people are still missing.
German-born soccer professional Baris Basdas, who is under contract with Turkish second division club Yeni Malatyaspor, has also been seriously injured. That reports the Picture.
As his agent Serdar Topcu learned from an acquaintance, Basdas allegedly jumped from his second floor house to save himself. He is said to have injured his foot badly.
The team-mate of the former Hannover 96 player, Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan, was hit much harder by the aftermath of the earthquake. He was reportedly buried under rubble, but there is no more precise information about the goalkeeper’s condition. His club wrote on Twitter about a photo of the player: “Our prayers are with you.”
