Mikel Obi played at Trabzonspor for a short while before returning to England to join Stoke City.
An emotional tifo was flown by Trabzonspor supporters during their Europa Conference League match on Thursday night at Akyazi Stadium.
Almost 41,000 people are said to have died in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria and left the nation in ruins.
The number of individuals currently missing has not been disclosed, despite the fact that rescue efforts are still underway, including those for Christian Atsu, a former footballer for Newcastle and Chelsea.
During their match against Basel, Trabzonspor fans presented an emotive tifo in support of emergency service personnel in response to the country's rescue efforts after the terrible earthquake.
In the footage posted by Football BT Sports, the supporters presented a unique tifo that showed an emergency responder pulling a child from the wreckage.
Watch the video here:
Trabzonspor fans thank the emergency services with a tifo before their European clash vs. Basel, after the tragic recent earthquake in Türkiye. pic.twitter.com/7pSepEr8sE
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 16, 2023
A courageous Mexican rescue dog named Proteo who tragically lost his life while on duty in Turkey was also featured in the tifo.
A goal for Türkiye 🇹🇷
The Trabzonspor team gather on the sidelines to show solidarity after the recent earthquake in the country.#UEL pic.twitter.com/CfyQD8wcin
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 16, 2023
The players observed a moment of silence while donning black armbands, and a Basel banner read, “Our thoughts are with you.”
The match saw the Black Sea Storm edge past the Swiss outfit thanks to Jens Stryger Larsen's 65th-minute strike. Meanwhile, the player broke down in tears as he celebrated his goal.
Mikel Obi, who left Middlesbrough for the Turkish club and made 27 appearances there, has nonetheless used his social media account to express his deepest sympathies.
Meanwhile, one cap Super Eagles forward, Anthony Nwakaeme, had 145 appearances for the team while tallying 47 goals and 40 assists. He hasn't yet posted anything about the event publicly on any of his social media platforms, though.
Photo Credit: @Trabzonspor/Twitter
