Just as Turkish football returned from a shocking punch-up suspension, chaos reigned anew as Istanbulspor’s president yanked his entire team off the pitch in protest of a disputed call.
Trabzonspor led 2-1, but Istanbulspor, fuming over a denied penalty, went nuclear in the 73rd minute. President Ecmel Faik Sarıalioglu stormed onto the field, a scene reminiscent of last week’s referee assault, and ordered his players to abandon the match.
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Astonishingly, Istanbulspor players like Simon Deli were seen begging their own president to reverse the decision. Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avci called it “a sad day for football,” as the refereeing drama swallowed another Turkish game whole.
“It is a sad day for football… We will wait for the football federation’s decision from now on,” Avci said.
This is the second major refereeing scandal in two weeks, casting a dark shadow over the league.
It all started with Ankaragucu’s president, Faruk Koca, infamously punching a referee after a draw. That incident landed him a lifetime ban and prompted a nationwide league suspension.
I covered the story in an article for The Guardian covering the situation of refereeing in Turkish football, the eroding of trust in the officiating and the conspiracies being peddled by the clubs and media.
As football returned Tuesday, a glimmer of hope shone through. Children presented flowers to referees, bearing “respect” messages.
But just when it seemed normalcy might prevail, chaos reared its ugly head once more.
The Turkish FA have yet to make a decision regarding the incident and Super Lig games are expected to resume today.
