A Turkish football club president stormed onto the pitch to order his players to walk off just a week after a referee was assaulted. In more disgraceful scenes in the country’s top flight, Istanbulspor president Faik Sarialioglu urged his players to halt their match after being denied a penalty.
Turkish football has been suspended for the last week after referee Halil Umut Meler was punched by the now-former Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca and subsequently kicked by two more assailants.
The official was pictured being released from hospital with huge swelling above his eye. Furious Super Lig bosses suspended the league’s action for a week until December 19.
However, attitudes towards referees do not appear to have changed in Turkey’s top-flight. On the first day of the league’s return, Istanbulspor took extreme measures after feeling they should have been awarded a spot-kick.
The bottom-placed club felt they should have been handed a spot-kick late in their match against Trabzonspor. However, the appeal was waved away by the referee. Many onlookers felt that the decision was correct.
Trabzonspor immediately attacked and scored through the former Southampton striker Paul Onuachu, making the scoreline 2-1 in his side’s favour. In shocking scenes, Istanbulspor president Sarialioglu was then seen making his way towards the pitch.
He gained access to the field of play and, incredibly, started urging his players to walk off. Some of them attempted to reason with the executive but he was insistent that they should return to their dressing room.
In one clip circulated on social media, head coach Hakan Yakin appeared stunned as his players were forced to leave the field. His players ultimately decided to walk off and the match was abandoned with 74 minutes played.
It comes less than a week after the Super Lig was suspended, with the Turkish Football Federation’s president, Mehmet Buyukeksi, saying his priority was to protect the safety of all of the league’s stakeholders.
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“The main mission of all of us is to keep football ahead of everything else and to protect it as an area where all stakeholders feel safe. There is no room for violence in this attitude,” Buyukekski said.
“What happened in the Ankaragucu – Rizespor match is completely unacceptable.
“We remind you that we will have zero tolerance in any such incident on or off the field, and that we will not allow attacks or disproportionate pressure on our referees, who are an important part of the game.”
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