Turkish Footballer Refuses to Wear Ukraine “No-War” T-Shirt, Points to Apathy Towards Middle East

The sporting world is doing its bit to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But it seems Turkish footballer Aykut Demir has refused to do so.

Demir, the captain of Erzurumspor in Turkey’s second division, was the only player who did not wear a ‘No to War’ T-shirt before their 1-0 loss to Ankaragucu on Sunday. It has caused a huge stir as the tee was meant to be worn to show solidarity with Ukraine and he has been facing intense backlash.

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Demir has been compelled to provide an explanation behind his refusal to wear the ‘No to war’ T-shirt.

Demir, who was born in the Netherlands but played for the Turkish national team, emphasised the issue of double standards, saying that people in the Middle East suffer on a daily basis but no one cares about them. “Thousands of people die every day in the Middle East. I feel sad too. I share the pain of innocent people,” he told Football Anatolia.

The footballer said that while people react to any kind of suffering in Europe, the persecution in the Middle East is ignored. He said he did not wear the T-shirt because no such T-shirt had ever been made for the countries suffering in the Middle East.

The Israeli-Palestine war alone has claimed a lot of lives in both countries over the years. According to a Forbes report, 5,600 Palestinians died between 2008 and 2020 while nearly 115,000 were injured while casualties on the Israeli side were 250 with about 5600 injured.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted widespread outrage in the sporting world, with athletes criticising Moscow’s conduct and growing calls for the country to be barred from international competition.

St. Petersburg was removed from its role as host of the UEFA Champions League final, which is planned for May 28. The game has now been moved to Paris’s Stade de France.

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