Alanyaspor team gather to remember Czech striker Josef Sural in ceremony

Alanyaspor players paid their respects to Josef Sural on Monday after the Czech Republic striker was killed in a minibus crash.

Sural's former colleagues were visibly moved by the ceremony in Antalya in Turkey.

A board in tribute to Sural, who was 28-year-old, read 'we will never forget you'.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu placed carnations on the coffin of the player.

Cavusoglu also gave his condolences to head coach of Aytemiz Alanyaspor Sergen Yalcin.

The Turkish Foreign Minister also shook hands with the players at the club facility in Turkey.

Sural, who played in Turkey, was killed after two bus drivers allegedly fell asleep while taking Aytemiz Alanyaspor players home from an away match on Sunday.

The devastated wife of Sural, Denisa and their daughters Vanessa and Melissa Denise boarded a plane to leave Turkey after the emotional ceremony.

Tributes were also paid in the Czech Republic as candles were placed near the Sparta Stadium in Prague.

Fans also held up a banner ahead of the Turkish Super Lig match between Atiker Konyaspor and Galatasaray at Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium in Konya.

At the same game, players held a banner on the pitch which read 'Sorry For Our Loss'.

Wife Denisa arrived at a Turkish hospital earlier on Monday after the striker was killed in the crash.

Denisa Sural pushed a pram into the hospital in Antalya as she took a grim journey to the scene where her husband died.

The crash also injured former England international Steven Caulker and ex-Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse, with four further players taken to hospital.

Alanyaspor chairman Hasan Cavusoglu has claimed that the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel while a second driver was already napping.

A ceremony will be held by the club for the player on Monday evening.

Seven Alanyaspor players had rented a VIP minibus to return home after the club's 1-1 draw against Kayserispor on Sunday.

The bus crashed three miles from the southern coastal town of Alanya, killing Sural and wounding Cisse and Caulker.

Djalma Campos, Baiano, Welinton and Isaac Sackey were the other four players caught up in the accident. Sackey suffered a broken arm.

A representative of Caulker told The Mirror the former Tottenham and Liverpool defender was 'safe, but badly shaken up'.

The rest of the club's players and staff had returned with the team bus or on their own, a Turkish agency said.

The driver of the VIP bus has reportedly been detained following the accident and an investigation has been launched.

'According to information I received from our police chief, despite there being two drivers on the vehicle, they were both asleep. The crash happened as a result of them both being asleep,' Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

He said the other six players injured in the crash were not in critical condition.

On Monday morning, Alanyaspor head coach Sergen Yalcin spoke about the accident.

'Everything is empty, life is empty. We're hurt,' he said. 'He was the team's most industrious footballer, a very disciplined and exemplary person.'

Speaking on TV channel TRT Spor, Sural's team-mate Haydar Yilmaz said: 'It's like a joke, I still can't believe it.

'I wish there was something we could do. I don't know what to do. The situation of our wounded friends is good, but they are psychologically very bad.'

Sural is survived by his wife and two daughters. His second child was born on February 7.

The Czech Republic Football Association released a statement on Monday morning following the news, with both the chairman and national team coach speaking.

'I want to express my sincere and deep condolences to the family and my friends. Pepa was a humble man who will all be missed by us. We will never forget,' said chairman Martin Malik.

National team head coach Jaroslav Silhavy said: 'I knew Pepa from his time in Liberec. He was a modest and honest boy, with only the nicest memories left.

'The message hit me deeply. It is a loss not only for Czech football, but especially for all those close to him - it is for those who I want to express my sincere condolences to the family.'

Sural's old club Sparta Prague were among the first to pay tribute to their former captain following news of his death.

The Czech outfit wrote on Twitter: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of our friend and former captain.

'We would like to express our condolences to his family. Sury, we will never forget you. Rest in peace!'

Slovan Liberec, another of Sural's former teams, expressed their sadness at the news, confirming that their will be a minute's silence before their league match against Slavia Prague on Saturday.

'We express our sincere condolences to the whole family and to the bereaved. Rest in peace, Pepa!' said a statement on the club's official website.

Team-mate Caulker, who had scored his first goal for the club on Sunday in their 1-1 draw with Kayserispor, posted messages on his Instagram.

Arsenal goalkeeper and former international team-mate Petr Cech also posted his condolences.

He tweeted in Czech, writing: 'Sad news from this morning. Sincere condolences to the family and to all the loved ones. R.i.p.'

Everton's Turkish forward Cenk Tosun also posted following the news.

Former France international and Sparta Prague team-mate Rio Mavuba posted: 'Beyond football a good man. We all think of you Josef and your family.'

Other clubs were also quick to pay their respects, with Ajax and Barcelona both posting on Twitter in reaction to the news. Each of Turkey's big three clubs — Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas — all posted their condolences, too.

Tributes are set to be paid ahead of the two Turkish Super Lig fixtures on Monday evening. Galatasaray's game with Konyaspor and Yeni Malatyaspor against Kasimpasa both kick off at 6pm.

Sural started his career at FC Zbrojovka Brno having come through their academy. He made 37 appearances for the club before moving to Slovan Liberec in 2011, where he won the Czech First Division title.

He made the move to Sparta Prague in 2016, where he was captain until his move to Turkey in January.

Sural was capped 20 times for his country, scoring his only goal in a 3-2 win against Holland in October 2015. He was part of the squad that participated at Euro 2016.