Turkish Süper Lig game SUSPENDED after club President recalls players in protest

Turkish Super Lig has once again run into troubles.

Turkish Süper Lig game SUSPENDED after club President recalls players in protest

Istanbulspor President Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu on the pitch during the game. (Via X/@DeadlineDa)

Turkish football seems to be in complete disarray at the moment. Just days after Turkish Football was suspended after a referee was punched by a club President, another incident has caught the attention of football fans worldwide. İstanbulspor President Ecmel Faik Sarıalioglu was not pleased with a certain refereeing decision and withdrew his players from the pitch.

It was only a week ago that Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler was punched and attacked by then Ankaragücü President Faruk Koca. As a result, all league games in Turkey were suspended indefinitely. Meler has then been released from the hospital and is recovering from his facial injuries. Yet another incident has taken center stage as news of the same settles down.

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Istanbulspor were trailing 2-1 in the 68th minute when club President Ecmel Faik withdrew players from the ground in protest. While Trabzonspor took the lead through a Paul Onuachu header, the home side protested the goal. They claimed handball and wanted a penalty before the goal, which was not awarded by the referee. Istanbulspor President’s harsh decision was ‘opposed’ by players.

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Ivory Coast defender Simon Deli was pictured kneeling before the President to reconsider his decision. However, the players eventually left the pitch, and the game was suspended. Istanbulspor are bottom of the Turkish Süper Lig.

UEFA assures Turkish Football Federation of Euro 2032 hosting rights

Turkish football is currently going through a period of calamity scandal and unrest. However, despite all the negative attention surrounding the country and the league, the football federation announced relieving news. The nation had received hosting rights for the 2032 Euros back in October 2023. However, last week’s incident made many believe that the project has been jeopardized.

Turkey and Italy will co-host Euro 2032 (Via BBC)

Turkish Football Federation president Mehmet Buyukeksi assured that the incident(s) have not affected the same. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said that there is no negativity and he also extended his support to Buyukeksi. The Federation is now striving to bring things back to normal in the league. The need to not misinform the public was also stressed by UEFA to the federation.

Following the incident, the focus shifted to the injured referee, Halil Umut Meler. Notable figures, including former referee Pierluigi Collina, criticized the event. 

This issue needs to be addressed to protect the integrity of the sport.
Collina said

He highlighted similar attacks on referees in lower leagues worldwide.

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