Victim of the earthquake in Turkey, goalkeeper of Yeni Malatyaspor, former team of Arturo Mina, dies

The death toll from the deadly earthquake that has struck Turkey and Syria continues to rise. The devastation of the earthquake has reached all sectors. Also football.

Just a day ago, former Malaguista striker Christian Atsu, who currently wore the Hatyspor colours, was successfully rescued from the ruins. However, not all stories have a happy ending. Yeni Malatyaspor, from the Turkish second division, has made public via Twitter the death of its goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan, who was trapped under the rubble.

The goalkeeper made his debut in the first division of his country during his time at Ankaraspor. However, the bulk of his career spanned between the silver and bronze ranks of Ottoman football. Mamak Fk was the club with which he played the most matches -a total of 40-, and Ankaraspor in which he spent the most seasons -More than thirty starts over four seasons-.

He arrived free at Yeni Malatyaspor in July of last year, from Umraniyespor. His current team shared a photograph of the goalkeeper on social networks along with a heartfelt message of condolences that read: “we will not forget you, beautiful person.”

It was his own coach, Yilmaz Vural, who confirmed the death of the goalkeeper to the Turkish press. According to the technician, the emergency services managed to save his wife, but Türkaslan was buried.

Türkaslan was the current second goalkeeper in the squad, and this season he had played two cup games, which ended in a draw and a victory for the team from the city of Malatya. However, the team is not going through a good sporting moment. They are the present bottom of the second division and are two points from salvation.

Twitter has been flooded over the past few hours with condolences and messages of support for the family. This tragedy adds to the thousands that continue to be counted in the most troubled regions of Turkey and Syria.

More losses for the world of football

The Turkish goalkeeper is not the only football figure to have died in the region. Former Syrian international Nader Joukhadar was also found dead during the past day. The striker, who played up to fifteen games with his country’s team, was one of the football stars of the Syrian team that qualified for the 1996 Asian Cup. Retired since 2008, he spent most of his professional career with teams from Jordan . He also had a brief career as a coach, when he took over the Shalam Zgharta bench in 2022 -for two months. Joukhadar’s lifeless body was found next to his son’s.

The Syrian Al-Wathba, a team in which he played between 1996 and 2001, has issued a statement in which they regret what they consider a “great loss for the sport of Syria”. In the emotional text, condolences were also extended to his family and friends. For his part, the Al-Faisaly day, of which he was a part between 2001 and 2003, has also written a letter in which he joins the memory of the deceased. (D)