On the 26 February 2023 a football game of the Turkish Süper Lig between Besiktas from Istanbul and Antalyaspor from Antalya took place in the Vodafone Park in Istanbul.[1] During the match, when the clock showed 4 Minutes and 17 seconds, the fans hurled stuffed toys to the pitch for the children that survived the devastating earthquake from February 2023.[2][3]
On the 6 February 2023, Turkey was struck by a devastating earthquake which caused over 45''000 deaths.[4] The Turkish Government is criticized for its insufficient response to the earthquake by the fans of both the fans of Fenerbahçe S.K. and also Besiktas.[5]
Match stopped at 4:17
The match was stopped when the clock showed 4 Minutes and 17 seconds in memory of the victims of the earthquake on the 6 February 2023, which took place on 4.17am.[3] Following the fans hurled toys, berets and scarves on the football pitch meant to cheer up the children in the earthquake region[3] and on the billboard in the stadium, the names of the affected provinces were displayed.[6] The action was organized by the fans before the match when the toys were distributed among the fans in a coordinated manner. The action would be called "this toy is my friend".[7]
The match would also become known due the fans demands for the Turkish Government to resign.[1][8] The crowd protested over the lack of responses the Government gave in the aftermacth of the earthquake.[6] Over a video from the online news portal Haber, it was shown how some protesters were expelled from the tribune by the police.[6]
.jpg){kind=link}