Turkish Super Lig in Chaos as Istanbulspor President Takes Team off Pitch in Protest
The Turkish Super Lig is once again embroiled in a refereeing controversy as Istanbulspor’s president made the unprecedented decision to call his team off the pitch during a game. The incident occurred during Istanbulspor’s match against Trabzonspor, with the score tied at 1-1. Istanbulspor was denied a penalty after Florian Loshaj was brought down by Batista Mendy.
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To add insult to injury, Trabzonspor took advantage of the situation and scored to make it 2-1 through former Southampton striker Paul Onuachu. In the 73rd minute, Istanbulspor president Faik Sarialioglu made the unprecedented decision to take his players off the pitch in protest.
Simon Deli, who is on loan at Istanbulspor, was seen pleading with Sarialioglu to reconsider, but the game was ultimately suspended. Trabzonspor later expressed their gratitude to their fans for their support during the incident.
Istanbulspor currently sits at the bottom of the Turkish Super Lig with just eight points from 15 games. They have only managed to win one of their last eight matches. On the other hand, Trabzonspor is in fourth place with 26 points from 15 league matches.
This incident follows the recent chaos in Turkish football when Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca punched a referee in the face during a match against Rizespor. The referee had already sent off one player from each team before Rizespor equalized in injury time, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Koca then ran onto the pitch and assaulted the referee, who was subsequently kicked while on the ground.
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Koca was subsequently arrested, and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has banned him from all football-related activities. The referee, Meler, was treated for injuries, including a small fracture under his eye. As a result of the incident, all matches across Turkey’s leagues were suspended. Ankaragucu was also fined £54,000 and ordered to play five games behind closed doors, among other sanctions.
Before Tuesday’s matches, club managers showed their support for Meler by presenting flowers to the referees as a gesture of solidarity.