Czech forward commemorated in 1st death anniversary

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Football clubs commemorated a former Czech forward in his first death anniversary on Wednesday.

Josef Sural's ex-clubs, Turkey's Aytemiz Alanyaspor and Sparta Prague from Czech Republic shared messages on social media to commemorate Sural, who was killed in a road accident in Turkey.

"In his first death anniversary, we commemorate our football player Josef Sural with longing, who passed away after a saddening traffic accident," Aytemiz Alanyaspor said on its Twitter account.

"It's been a year, but you still can't understand getting used to being gone. We will never forget, Sury!," Sparta Prague said as the Czech club still mourns for Sural.

In addition to the clubs, the Czech national football team shared a Twitter post in which they said the country's football community will not forget him.

Last year Sural had a road accident in the Mediterranean Turkish province of Antalya and succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.

The accident happened when a minibus carrying players of Alanyaspor was returning home from an away game with Kayserispor in the central Kayseri province.

It also injured six other footballers whom were rushed to a hospital in Antalya.

Sural was 28 when he passed away on April 29, 2019 and left behind a widow, Denisa, and two children.

- Career

Sural was born on May 30, 1990 in the Czech Republic and his football career started in 2008 in a national club Zbrojovka Brno, where he played 37 matches and scored two goals.

He spent most of his career with Slovan Liberec in the Czech Republic during 2011-2016 seasons and scored 42 goals in 158 games.

Sural became Czech champion with Slovan Liberec in 2012.

He joined a Czech powerhouse, Sparta Prague, in 2016.

From 2016 to 2019, he scored 25 goals in 80 appearances for Sparta Prague.

Sural also played against the Turkish national team in the UEFA EURO 2016 group match, where Czechs were beaten 2-0 in the French province of Lens.

Alanyaspor signed him in January 2019 as Sural had 11 appearances and netted one goal for the Turkish club.