Fenerbahçe players left the field 3 minutes into the game of the Turkish Super Cup final against Galatasaray, this Sunday, in protest against the competition calendar.
The club had already started its protest by choosing the under-19 team for the match. Galatasaray opened the scoring in the first minute and, shortly after, Fenerbahçe’s youngsters left the pitch, which caused the referee to declare a definitive stoppage.
“It’s time to put things in their place in Turkish football,” said Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç at a pre-match press conference in Sanliurfa.
Stating that several titles “escaped” from Fenerbahçe in a dubious way, Koç denounced the existence of “a hidden network in Turkish football that, for years, decided the development of the championship with the intermediation of referees”.
Fenerbahçe demanded that a foreign referee referee the Super Cup and also requested its postponement to better prepare for the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Conference League, on Thursday, against Olympiakos, from Greece.
The most beautiful yellow and red frame of our victory night @1905gsyiadWe choose with the contributions of . 💛❤️
Which one do you think? 🤔#GSvFB pic.twitter.com/9s7bUcbHjz
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) April 7, 2024
Last Wednesday, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) punished two Fenerbahçe players after acts of violence that occurred at the end of a league game played in Trabzon, for repelling attacks by a group of Tranzonspor fans who invaded the pitch. .
Galatasaray entered the field with its first team for this Sunday’s game.
The match was initially scheduled for December 29 last year, in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), but was postponed at the last minute because Saudi authorities prevented the players from wearing shirts with political messages.
Both teams, who are fighting for the Turkish Championship title with seven rounds remaining, had then agreed to warm up on the field with the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, to celebrate the centenary of the Turkish Republic.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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