Extra violence erupted in Turkish soccer on Saturday after Fenerbahce president Ali Koc grew to become the most recent sufferer in a troubling pattern.
The surprising incident passed off after Fenerbahce’s 2-2 draw with Goztepe, which was the aspect’s second Tremendous Lig match of the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Koc was struck by a bottle hurled from the stands after initially being pushed to the bottom by a pitch invader.
The incident was captured on video and posted to social media, going viral in a matter of minutes.
This isn’t the primary time soccer violence in Turkey has made headlines. Over the previous decade, the nation’s soccer tradition has seen repeated flare-ups of fan aggression, usually throughout high-stakes matches.
Extra violence has erupted in Turkish soccer, with Fenerbahce president Ali Koc being the most recent sufferer in a troubling pattern
The incident was captured on video and posted to social media, going viral in minutes
The surprising incident passed off after Fenerbahce’s 2-2 draw with Goztepe on Saturday
The newest assault, caught on digital camera and extensively shared on-line, has reignited considerations over the protection of officers, gamers, and supporters in Turkish soccer.
The video exhibits Koc, who’s being escorted off the pitch, being pushed to the bottom earlier than being struck by an object that was thrown from the gang.
The Fenerbahce president returned to his ft and managed to stroll off unassisted whereas being protected by safety.
It’s unclear if the bottle was thrown intentionally at him or as half of a bigger disturbance, however the affect and subsequent response spotlight the harmful ambiance that has developed in a few of Turkey’s most heated soccer environments.
The violence in Turkish soccer isn’t a brand new phenomenon. Mail Sport has reported extensively on the difficulty over the past 12 years, chronicling quite a few cases of crowd hassle, stadium bans, and clashes between rival supporters. Nevertheless, assaults on high-profile figures reminiscent of membership presidents mark a worrying escalation.
Turkish soccer has lengthy been related to passionate assist, however in recent times, that zeal has usually boiled over into violence.
Derbies between golf equipment like Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas have been notably infamous for incidents of hooliganism. These intense rivalries have sometimes spilled past the stands, with gamers and officers turning into targets.
Koc (pictured above) was struck by a bottle hurled from the stands after initially being pushed to the bottom by a pitch invader
The Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) has applied varied measures to curb the violence, together with elevated safety at stadiums, however these efforts have solely been partially profitable.
In 2013, the Istanbul derby between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray was marred by riots, with dozens of followers arrested and several other folks injured. Extra lately, in 2022, a Besiktas fan was banned for all times after throwing a flare onto the pitch, narrowly lacking the opposing goalkeeper.
Again in March, there have been surprising scenes of violence as Trabzonspor followers stormed the pitch and tried to assault Fenerbahce’s gamers.
It got here after former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi scored the decisive objective in a 3-2 Fenerbahce win three minutes from time, after former Manchester United midfielder Fred netted twice.
Again in March, surprising scenes of violence adopted after the match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce within the Turkish Tremendous Lig
Batshuayi’s late winner noticed the visiting gamers pelted with missiles thrown from the stands at Papara Park and issues intensified after Fenerbahce celebrated their win on the finish.
Livid house followers, some wielding weapons, tried to succeed in the celebrating gamers, who fought again to guard themselves.
Former QPR man Shiny Osayi-Samuel was seen raining down punches on his would-be attacker as team-mates and Fenerbahce workers waded in to assist.
