UEFA to collect donations for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Syria

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - UEFA said it will collect donations for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria during the week of the 2023 Champions League final in Istanbul.

"Fans and visitors at this year’s UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul will be invited to ‘tap-to-donate’ with terminals provided by Mastercard, which will be available at the UEFA Champions Festival, Atatürk Olympic Stadium and Fan Zones. The proceeds of the donations will support a joint UEFA Foundation/Mastercard project in Turkey," the governing body of European football said Tuesday.

There will be a free concert Sunday where artists will encourage donations at the Champions Festival at Yenikapi Park located on the European side of the city.

"In addition to the ‘tap-to-donate’ terminals, people will be able to make a donation via a QR code."

UEFA added that as per Turkish regulations, Champions League final spectators are not allowed to bring coins to Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday. Coins that are removed before entering the venue will be donated to the earthquake fund.

The Champions Festival at Yenikapi Park will run from Thursday to Sunday, and admission will be free for everyone.

The final between Manchester City and Inter Milan will be held Saturday at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

More than 50,000 people were killed in two powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes that were centered in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck in less than 10 hours.