Fenerbahçe walks off in Super Cup protest

ŞANLIURFA

The Turkish Super Cup ended in chaos on April 7 after only 100 seconds when Fenerbahçe players walked off after conceding an early goal against rival Galatasaray, which was declared the 1-0 winner.

Fenerbahçe had already decided to field its under-19 team for the match to protest alleged unfavorable treatment by Turkish football authorities.

Argentine forward Mauro Icardi scored in the first minute at Şanlıurfa GAP stadium after being set up by Barış Alper Yılmaz. The Fenerbahçe players then left the field before the game could resume, drawing whistles from fans.

Galatasaray was subsequently declared the winner, prompting earlier-than-expected celebrations for Icardi’s team.

Fenerbahçe president Yıldırım Ali Koç spoke of a “rebellion” in a statement on the club's website, where he detailed alleged injustices going back over the years. “It is time for a ‘reset’ for Turkish football,” Koç said.

Fenerbahçe plays at Olympiakos in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarterfinals on April 11. The Turkish team had reportedly been unhappy with the timing of the Super Cup.

They had asked for the Super Cup to be postponed ahead of its game against the Greek side.

The club also demanded that a foreign referee take charge citing unfavourable treatment from Turkish referees.

The Super Cup was originally scheduled for Dec. 29 last year in Riyadh but the match was postponed at the last minute after Saudi organisers refused to allow players to wear warm-up shirts bearing the image of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to celebrate the centenary of the Turkish Republic, saying political slogans were banned.

The dispute added to Turkish Football Federation (TFF) head Mehmet Büyükekşi's woes as it followed a separate incident involving MKE Ankaragücü's former president, Faruk Koca, who attacked referee Halil Umut Meler after a first division match in the Turkish capital Ankara earlier in last December.

Meanwhile, two Fenerbahçe players, İrfan Can Eğribayat and Jayden Oosterwolde, were banned for one match by the federation last week after a Super Lig game against Trabzonspor.

A crowd of home supporters invaded the pitch at Trabzonspor's stadium following a 3-2 loss to the Istanbul giant on March 17.

Images showed a fan enter the pitch and begin running towards the celebrating Fenerbahçe players, some of whom reacted by running towards him to trying and strike him.

Other fans then invaded the pitch as stewards tried to restore order.

Videos showed Belgian international Michy Batshuayi kicking a fan who had entered the pitch and Nigerian international Bright Osayi-Samuel punching another supporter.

In other images on social media, a fan could be seen to threaten a visiting player with a corner flag and Fenerbahçe's goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic received a punch to the face.

Fenerbahçe are chasing their first Turkish title since 2014 and are two points behind champions Galatasaray with seven rounds to go.