Football match halted as player performs CPR to save seagull struck by ball

A player performed life-saving CPR on a seagull after it was struck by a ball during a Turkish amateur football match between Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar and Istanbul Yurdum Spor in Zeytinburnu

Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter

18:54, 24 Feb 2026Updated 06:28, 25 Feb 2026

Gani Catan performed CPR on the stricken seagull(Image: gzt_spor/X)

A Turkish amateur footballer has been hailed as a hero for performing life-saving CPR on a seagull after it was struck out of the sky during a match.

Gani Catan rushed to the bird's aid during the first-half of an Istanbul First Amateur League playoff final in Zeytinburnu between Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar and Istanbul Yurdum Spor. Goalkeeper Muhammet Uyanik inadvertently knocked the gull out of the sky as he launched the ball upfield, as it fell to the pitch unresponsive.

Istanbul Yurdum Spor captain, Catan, then ran over to assist, performing chest compressions and ultimately life-saving CPR to the bird. His efforts were quickly fruitful, as the once-still gull showed signs of movement, before he carefully carried it off the pitch before handing it over to medical staff.

[Gani Catan carries a bird]

Gani Catan saved a bird during his side's match(Image: gzt_spor/X)

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Quick to recognise their player's caring nature on Instagram in the aftermath, Istanbul Yurdum Spor wrote: "Our captain Gani Catan brought the seagull back to life thanks to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) he performed on the field."

And while his team went on to lose the game, Catan explained that he harboured no regrets in his performance or actions on the day.

He told Turkish media: "We missed out on the championship, but helping save a life is a good thing. This was more important than the championship."

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Elsewhere, social media had nothing but positive things to say about the player's actions. One person wrote: "Every living thing deserves life so let's thank these people."

Another added: "Man of the match and player of the year." A third said: "Thats awesome what the players and the referee did!"

Meanwhile a fourth explained: "In a world of darkness, that's divine."

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