Solidarity match against terror kicks off in Istanbul's Vodafone Arena

The stars of Turkish football gathered in Istanbul's Vodafone Arena Thursday to play a charity match to show unity and solidarity against recent terror attacks in the country and pay respect to those who lost their lives.

The match organized by the Turkish Football Federation and Turkish Super League Professional Football Clubs Foundation, under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will see top international and local players from the league playing a friendly match to show a common stance against terrorism. All donations, all proceeds from the sponsorships and publishing rights of the match will go to the families of victims who lost their lives in terror attacks. Speaking before the start of the match Erdoğan said: "Turkey is going through one of its roughest periods in history in its fight against terrorism. I believe that our police officers, soldiers, village guards and this nation will finish terrorism by standing in unity and solidarity."

The Turkish stars, the red team, won the match 4-3 against international stars on the white team. The match lasted 60 minutes, each half lasting 30 mins. The game was officiated by Turkish FIFA-licensed Referee Cüneyt Çakır. The head of Professional Football Clubs Foundation, Göksel Gümüşdağ said, "We have received about 35-40 million TL in donations. All tickets have been sold out. The winner of this match will be Turkey."

Two bombs -- one by a bomb-laden car and the other a suicide bomb -- exploded in a terrorist attack that occurred in Istanbul's Maçka Park outside Beşiktaş's stadium, Vodafone Arena, on 10 December, killing 44 people and wounding 155, including 14 still in intensive care.