Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor, who were left reeling from the tragic loss of their forward Christian Atsu and their sports director, Taner Savut, in last month's devastating earthquakes, are determined to be back on the training pitch in July and August.
"The whole city is busy clearing rubble," club Vice President Aydin Toksöz told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), saying any chance of restarting the club again before then is impossible amid the destruction in the city of Antakya.
"It's hard to describe our pain," Toksöz said.
Training facilities have been damaged, and some players have been temporarily transferred to other teams to stay in shape. In addition, Hatayspor and fellow south-eastern club Gaziantep suspended their participation in the Turkish Süper Lig after the quake.
The club is financially ruined, with their entire annual budget of TL 350 million ($18 million) lost. Turks living in Europe have been offered financial support.
Hatayspor's stadium, where Ghana's Atsu scored a winning goal just over a month ago, now serves as an emergency shelter for the homeless. Tent after tent is lined up next to the entrance.
Atsu's superb free kick goal came in a victory against Kasimpasa on Feb. 6.
"The whole city went crazy; everyone was so happy because the victory strengthened our hopes of staying in the league," Toksöz said.
Hours later, Atsu, like tens of thousands of others, was buried under the rubble of his building. His death was confirmed after almost two weeks of uncertainty on Feb. 18.
The earthquake has brought unimaginable suffering to Türkiye and Syria and deeply affected sports.
Stories of tragedy abound. A school volleyball team from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was in the quake area for a tournament.
The hotel in Adıyaman, where the girls and boys aged between 12 and 14 stayed, collapsed, and none of the 25 children could be rescued.
Hatayspor lost others besides Atsu, including sporting director Taner Savut and several junior players.
