Canadian football players Hutchinson, Adekugbe raise at least $18,000 for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Syria

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Canadian national football team players Atiba Hutchinson and Samuel Adekugbe, currently playing for Turkish Super Lig clubs, have raised at least $18,000 for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria, according to the Canadian Red Cross on Wednesday.

The charity said on its website that $18,030 was raised with support from Hutchinson and Adekugbe.

Canada Soccer confirmed Tuesday that central midfielder Hutchinson and left-back Adekugbe were on a stadium pitch to pose with a symbolic check in the amount of $17,830.

Donors can still contribute on the Canadian Red Cross website. The minimum donation for the Soccer Unites for Türkiye and Syria campaign is $5.

Hutchinson, 40, is the captain of Besiktas and has been playing for the Istanbul club since 2013.

Adekugbe, 28, survived the Feb. 6 earthquakes and was signed by Istanbul powerhouse Galatasaray during that month.

Adekugbe previously played for Hatayspor. The club from the south of Türkiye withdrew from the top-tier Turkish Super Lig after the disaster.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes struck 11 Turkish provinces -- Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa, claiming more than 50,000 lives.

Over 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.