Erdoğan government protested during first top-tier football game after earthquakes

Photos: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Supporters protested against the government over the devastating February 6 earthquakes during a football game between Fenerbahçe and Konyaspor yesterday (February 25).

The game at the Sükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in İstanbul's Kadıköy, the home turf of Fenerbahçe, one of the "Big Three" of Türkiye's football, was the first one since the quakes. The matches had been postponed due to the disaster.

Ahead of the game, supporters hung a large banner on the grandstand, which said, "Teary eyes will be filled with hope."

The players carried a banner that read "We will bind up the wounds together," during the pre-match ceremony, which was also attended by several children who survived the quakes.

The supporters remained silent for the first 4 minutes and 17 seconds of the game, in reference to the time of the first quake, which had occurred at 4.17 a.m.

After that, they began calling on the government to resign, chanting, "Lie, lie, lie. Deceit, deceit, deceit. It's been 20 years, resign!"

Fenerbahçe tribünlerinde "hükümet istifa" sloganları!

"Yalan yalan yalan, dolan dolan dolan, 20 sene oldu istifa ulan!" pic.twitter.com/f69Zr5v8SW

— Salda Gölü Koruma Derneği (@SaldaDernek) February 25, 2023

While supporters were chanting such slogans, beIN sports, the broadcaster of the Super League, turned down the volume in what is a common practice when supporters chant politically charged slogans during football games.

However, many people shared videos of those moments on social media criticizing the broadcaster for "censorship." Hundreds of thousands of tweets were posted about the match and the supporters' protest.

Fenerbahçe won the game 4-0.

Taraftarın sesini kesemezsiniz!
Fenerbahçe-Konyaspor maçında taraftarlar hep bir ağızdan "Hükümet istifa" tezahüratında bulundu.
Yayıncı kuruluş beIN Sports, taraftarların sesini yayına vermedi, ancak ülkenin her yanı bu sesle yankılandı! #Fenerbahce pic.twitter.com/p9opslHY7A

— İlhami Özcan AYGUN (@ilhamiOzcanAygn) February 25, 2023

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.

The quakes affected 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 44,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 160,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures. (EMK/VK)