Rome – “There are constant aftershockswe are all worried and at the mercy of events”. Vincenzo Montella, former striker of Sampdoria, Rome and the national team, has been coaching Demirspor in Adana for two years, and today he should have played at Umraniyespor in Istanbul.
“Match cancelled, of course” he says, not hiding the fear that seized his entire group after the earthquake which has shocked southern Turkey, on the border with Syria. “With Demirspor – says the Adana coach, – we have been in Istanbul since yesterday. Adana is 200 kilometers from the epicenter, where the situation is tragic; but we learned that there are the first deaths in our city too. There too the earthquake felt strong, many of my players are worried for their families. They told us that buildings collapsed and that many people were on the streets during the night. Even the hotel where I live in Adana I know was evacuated and caught fire “.
The Turkish club has arranged, says Montella, “a special flight for the family members who are still in Adana, the players, the staff, to go to Antalya”. Anxiety and fear also arise from piecemeal information. “I don’t know the state of things in detail: we are all worried and at the mercy of events. I gave the team 2/3 days off waiting to figure out what to do: there are continuous aftershocks and only in the next few days will we know how to manage the situation, and I too will have to evaluate what to do: the championship will stop, starting from the next matchday”. In addition to the news of first confirmed victims in Adana, also comes that of “some dead players from the other teams”, perhaps even from Eyupspor, Adana’s next opponent. “The boys are worried because people there are on the street and it’s raining. We need to understand what’s going on.”
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