Country’s first women’s football derby played to protest femicides

The women's football teams of Turkish giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have faced each other for the first time in history within the scope of the United Nations' "Orange the World" campaign to protest femicides and violence against women in Istanbul late on Dec. 7.

The motto of Turkey's first women's football derby, which was played in Galatasaray's Nef Stadium in front of a huge crowd, was to "End Violence Against Women."

Among the spectators was Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanık. "We are here today for a very purposeful organization. Two teams will play a friendly derby which we will be happy to watch," Yanık said before the match.
Thanking the two teams and their presidents for such an organization to raise awareness, the minister noted, "I hope that these kinds of events will help to lower the gendered discourse in football."

Fenerbahçe won the match 7-0 with its British forward Shameeka Fishley being the first player making a hat-trick in a women's football derby.

"Whatever the result is, women win tonight," Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said after the match.
"We are against violence against women. This is an issue beyond politics," he added and hoped "not to see any violent acts against women anywhere anytime."
İYİ (Good) Party chair Meral Akşener took a seat at the stands, too. "End violence against women," she repeated the match's slogan at the beginning of her speech after the match.
"I hope this friendly match would be a good example against all kinds of discrimination in the country," she said."I wished the match finished with a draw," she remarked jokingly.

Berdan Bozkurt, a scorer for the Yellow Canaries, dedicated their victory to "all girls and women of the country."
Fatma...

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