The people of Türkiye were overwhelmed by the generosity of benefactors on the first day of their "Shoulder to Shoulder" fundraising campaign for the victims of last month's devastating earthquakes, raising an astounding TL 845.7 million ($44.8 million).
Famed sports figures such as Kylian Mbappe, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Ruud Gullit, Mikel Arteta and Arsene Wenger have all lent their support to the fundraising campaign, set to run until June 15.
Notably, European Club Association (ECA) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) chairperson Nasser Al-Khelaifi generously donated over $2 million to Türkiye's quake survivors, demonstrating his commitment to aiding those affected by the tragedy.
The "Shoulder to Shoulder" fundraising campaign is organized by Türkiye's Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the Turkish Union of Clubs and beIN Media Group and was moderated by Turkish TV icon Acun Ilicali.
Besides TV channels affiliated with beIN, the program was aired live by the Turkish broadcasters A Spor, SportsTV, D Smart Spor, S Sport, Tivibu Spor, TRT Spor, TV8 and Club televisions, TRT Radyo, Radyo Gol, Radyospor and Lig Radyo.
The devastating "disaster of the century" dubbed twin earthquakes that rocked southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6 left an appalling death toll of over 45,000 people in their aftermath.
Turkish national football team coach Stefan Kuntz, as well as the gaffers of Süper Lig's Fenerbahçe, Adana Demirspor and Fatih Karagümrük, all joined the aid campaign, lending their support.
Speaking in the live broadcast for the campaign, Stefan Kuntz praised the organization and said: "We strive to offer all the support that we can, and I'm always emphasizing that Türkiye is my second home."
"I personally experienced the feelings of the people there. Even though it was the night at the airport, the people there gave us great support, and we saw them personally. However, that they are in this state deeply saddens us and everyone knows how difficult this natural disaster is. But amid all this, there was an undeniable truth: 90 countries came together to provide aid to Türkiye, which only further proves the amount of love and admiration the world has for this nation. We have helped in any way we can, and we from Germany stand 'Shoulder to Shoulder' as well," he added.
Fenerbahçe coach Jorge Jesus also shared the pain of the Turkish people, saying: "This tragedy is the disaster of the century. But I saw the great Turkish nation stand up. It was great that they were united. Unfortunately, many people lost their lives, but now we have to see the future and think about what to do. I was able to see great solidarity and unity. I congratulate the Turkish people for this."
"These donations are very important for people to continue their lives. I hope people will continue these donations. I am very happy to be here. Even if our help is small, it is important to touch people's hearts. We will do it and lessen their suffering," he said.
Fatih Karagümrük manager Andrea Pirlo, who expressed his happiness to take part in the campaign, said: "Unfortunately, there has been a terrible tragedy. The grief is not only for Türkiye, but for the whole world. We tried to do something among ourselves and collected donations, we tried to help as much as we could. But the Turkish nation has shown that it is a very strong nation in this situation, it has behaved very well in the face of such a tragedy. We will support it as much as we can by helping such as this. These may be small things, but we will be with you in our hearts and with you."
Adana Demirspor coach Vincenzo Montella stated they saw how important football is in such situations and said: "I experienced the earthquake from a distance. And I feel the same pain as all Turkish people. The most important thing in such tragedies is that aid arrives as soon as possible. It is important both economically and emotionally that people rush to help immediately."
"Türkiye is truly a generous country. There have been such incidents in my country. It was not of this severity. That's why people I know and don't know from Türkiye are in this situation. I am glad I can help them. This is also very important from a psychological point of view, and we want to give our support in every way. I am always with you, I will do my best," he added.
