Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien and others locked up in Turkey

African football stars and legends including Stephen Appiah, Marcel Desailly, Michael Essien, Jay Jay Okocha and more are currently in Turkey, which has been plunged into chaos following an attempted coup.

The African football stars were meant to join with other footballers from across the world in Turkey, where they will participate in a charity game for the Cameroonian football legend,Samuel Eto’o’s foundation on Saturday.

Appiah shared a photo with his mates on arrival in Turkey, saying ” We are in Antalya to support a true son of Africa @setoo9 for

The status of Eto’o’s charity match is unknown, although a report in theMirror suggested it had been cancelled.

An army group in Turkey says it has taken over the country, with soldiers at strategic points in Istanbul and jets flying low in the capital, Ankara.

A statement read on TV said a “peace council” now ran the country and there was a curfew and martial law.

But PM Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control and a no-fly zone was declared over Ankara.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would overcome what he called an uprising by a minority. In the last few minutes, Mr Erdogan’s plane has landed at Istanbul airport, government sources say. Two large explosions were also heard near Istanbul’s central Taksim Square.