Fifa demands action after violence mars Turkish league match

It came after there have been other violent incidents in the Turkish league this season, including an attack on a referee by a club president

By Reuters

Published: Mon 18 Mar 2024, 8:07 PM

Violence in the Turkish Super Lig is "unacceptable", Fifa President Gianni Infantino said on Monday as he called on authorities to take action following a brawl after Fenerbahce's 3-2 win at Trabzonspor.

Trabzonspor fans stormed on to the pitch after the final whistle on Sunday and attacked visiting Fenerbahce players who fought back to defend themselves.

It came after there have been other violent incidents in the Turkish league this season, including an attack on a referee by a club president and protests against refereeing decisions.

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Turkish police detained 12 fans following the incident, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on X on Monday.

Fenerbahce players left Trabzon by private plane on Sunday night, accompanied by extensive security measures.

"The violence witnessed after the Turkish Super Lig match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce is absolutely unacceptable- on or off the field, it has no place in our sport or society," Infantino said in a statement.

"All players have to be safe and secure to play the game which brings such joy to so many people all over the world."

"I call on the relevant authorities to ensure that this is respected at all levels and for the perpetrators of the shocking events in Trabzon to be held accountable for their actions."

"We are going through a period that Turkish football is now completely fed by chaos, where tensions are constantly high, and where we cannot use the healing power of football," Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avci told reporters on Sunday.

"I don't understand why this place is so tense. Don't we have the right to celebrate? We need to overcome these things. We need to be tolerant towards each other and have common sense," Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal told reporters.

"We are in contact with our representatives and state authorities regarding the incidents that took place during and after the match," The Turkish Football Federation said in a statement.

"No one should have any doubt that after the investigations are completed, the necessary penal sanctions will be imposed on those responsible (for the violence) to prevent the repetition of such incidents."

It is not the first time violence has been seen in the Turkish Super Lig this season.

The league was suspended for a week in December after a referee was attacked during a match between Ankaragucu and Rizespor.

Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, alongside other men, attacked referee Halil Umut Meler on the pitch after the match, injuring the official.

A number of Fenerbahce trips to Trabzon in recent times have also been marred by violence.

A 2016 game against Trabzonspor was abandoned in the closing minutes after an assistant referee was attacked by a home supporter.

The year before that the Fenerbahce team bus came under attack from a gunman en route to the airport on the way back from the neighbouring Black Sea city of Rize, leaving the driver seriously injured.

In 2014 a match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce was called off at half-time after the Istanbul club's players were pelted with objects thrown onto the pitch by home fans.

Trabzonspor, who won the Turkish title two years ago, also found themselves in the spotlight in 2015 when the club president locked the referee and his assistants inside the stadium overnight in protest at the decision not to award his team a penalty.

They were eventually released in the early hours of the following morning after a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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