Earthquake struck Malatya's Kale district: Yeni Malatyaspor President announces desire to withdraw from the league

Malatya, one of the provinces most affected by the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, was struck by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake yesterday. 

Following the earthquake, a notable statement came from Yeni Malatyaspor.

In the announcement signed by Yeni Malatyaspor President Şahin Altunok, it was noted that the club wishes to withdraw from the league. 

'SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS ARE BEING EXPERIENCED'

The statement included the following remarks:

"Dear people of Malatya, esteemed sports fans; in the extraordinary elective congress of our club held in recent days, we took over the presidency of the Yeni Malatyaspor Club and began our work rapidly.

However, the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred yesterday in our Malatya's Kale district has negatively affected our city and our team, leading to the demoralization of our players.

Our facilities and stadium, which suffered heavy damage from the two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, were also affected by yesterday's earthquake, and the extent of the damage has increased. Our struggle, which we have been trying to maintain with limited and difficult resources, has brought us to a completely different and more challenging situation than before with yesterday's earthquake. The struggle we have been waging to play our matches in the stadium and the renovation work carried out to date have been seriously affected by yesterday's earthquake regarding our application for the new season. In addition to this, the damage to our facilities has left a serious negative impact on both us and our fellow players. Our fellow players, both those from Malatya and those who came from different cities, do not want to stay in the facilities. Our fellow players, who have to prepare for competitions and play matches under these difficult conditions, are experiencing serious psychological problems, just like every one of our brothers and sisters living in our city.

ANNOUNCED THEY WANT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE LEAGUE!

Taking these conditions into account, I would like to express in the presence of the public that we wish to withdraw from the league, provided that our rights are reserved. Otherwise, there will be no other way to protect our fellow players, whose lives could be in danger here and who could experience traumas they might never forget for the rest of their lives. This responsibility belongs to the entire public, especially the Turkish Football Federation."

ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PUBLIC ?? pic.twitter.com/kxNMRbPinP

— Yeni Malatyaspor (@YMSkulubu) October 17, 2024

News Source: 12punto