The world of sport offered its condolences on Wednesday to the victims of Tuesday's coal mine blast, which killed hundreds.
European football clubs including Liverpool, Chelsea and Schalke 04 each expressed their condolences for the miners who were trapped in the Soma coal mine in the Manisa region on their official Facebook accounts.
"Our thoughts are with everybody in Turkey at this time, particularly those affected in Manisa," London club Chelsea said.
Liverpool and Schalke 04 both published messages in Turkish on their official Facebook pages. Schalke 04, commonly known as the miners' club of Germany, wished the injured miners a quick recovery as well as offering condolences to the families of those who died.
Foreign footballers playing in Turkish Spor Toto Super League including Galatasaray's Dutch star Wesley Sneijder, Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo and Fenerbahce's Portuguese center-back Bruno Alves, offered condolences on their social media accounts.
Turkish football clubs also published public messages on their websites. Besiktas, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor staff all stood in silence during training sessions.
The Turkish Football Federation said matches which were to be played on 14-15 May in both amateur and professional levels will be postponed as part of a three day national mourning.
Spanish football club Atletico Madrid and its Turkish player Arda Turan offered their condolences to Turkey for the victims of a coal mine explosion in the country's west.
"We want to express our support and solidarity to the Turkish people in these hard times," a statement on the club's official website said on Wednesday below a photograph of a sorrowful Arda consoled by his teammate Mario Suarez.
It said, "Arda was extremely affected this morning by the mine disaster that killed more than 200 people in Turkey."
"From Madrid, I would like to offer my sympathies for the families who have been offered condolences from across the world," Arda was quoted as saying in the statement.
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