The day following a violent brawl following the invasion of the pitch in Trabzon, the management of the Fenerbahçe club confirmed on Monday that it was considering the possibility of withdrawing from the Turkish football championship. The decision will be quickly debated and voted on at a general meeting.
A returning kick from Michy Batshuayi and the few punches delivered by Bright Osayi-Samuel say a lot regarding the intensity of the general fight this Sunday in Turkey following the whistle of the match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe. Targeted by the supporters of the local club following their victory (2-3), the players of the Istanbul club defended themselves as best they might during the chaos which followed the invasion of the pitch.
The day following this terrible violence where twelve people were arrested, Fenerbahçe expressed its fed up following being targeted by opposing fans. The current second in the standings, just two points behind Galatasaray, has confirmed that it wants to take measures to ensure that such incidents are repeated.
A withdrawal debated on April 2
In a press release published this Monday on its official website, Fenerbahçe confirmed the convening of a general assembly on April 2 with the sole agenda being the follow-up to this sad affair.
The Istanbul club, where several former Ligue 1 players such as Cengiz Under and Alexander Djiku play, also specified in its communication that among the measures studied was the withdrawal from the championship.
Denouncing “unacceptable” events, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) affirmed on Sunday that “the necessary criminal sanctions would be imposed on those responsible for these incidents” while Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, called on Instagram “the authorities competent to ensure that this is respected at all levels and that the perpetrators of the shocking events in Trabzon are held accountable for their actions.”
Sunday evening’s violence between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe was added to the already long list of incidents in Turkish football. During December, the first division was even interrupted for a week following the president of the Ankaragucu club attacked a referee following a match.