By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - The European Club Association (ECA) announced Monday that it has launched a fundraising campaign for the victims of last month’s earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
"ECA Members all wore their club shirts during our first day at #ECA29GA in Budapest. The shirts will be auctioned, with all proceeds dedicated to supporting the earthquake relief effort in both Türkiye and Syria," the ECA tweeted.
The ECA also participated in the “shoulder to shoulder” fundraising campaign, donating €500,000 ($540,000) for relief efforts for the victims of the twin earthquakes in Türkiye.
The fundraising campaign was organized by Türkiye's Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Turkish Football Federation, the Turkish Union of Clubs and beIN Media Group.
More than 50,000 people died in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Feb. 6, which were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig.
More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.