10-man Fenerbahçe holds Trabzonspor to draw

ISTANBUL

Turkish Süper Lig leader Trabzonspor was held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Fenerbahçe on March 6, leaving behind a tough away game as the season’s end fast approaches.

Trabzonspor looked to be heading for a victory when Fenerbahçe midfielder İrfan Can Kahveci was sent off in the 18th minute following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review and Anthony Nwakaeme put the visiting side ahead four minutes later.

However, Fenerbahçe players, buoyed by the support of their fans in the stands, refused to give up, and Miha Zajc scored the level with a header in the 71st minute.

Fenerbahçe was furious at the referee after the match.

“Once again, we witnessed an evening that we can call a ‘stain’ in Turkish football,” Erol Bilecik, the club’s vice president, told reporters while accusing the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) of “referee assignment engineering.”

“I especially underline these systematic injustices against Fenerbahce, the systematic injustice of referees, and this evening we have seen a new one,” he said, adding his voice to an outcry over the assignment of Zorbay Küçük to officiate the game.

Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avcı was more focused on on-pitch issues.

“We had problems in precise passing and finishing; such things sometimes happen,” he told a post-game press conference.

“You can’t always be at your best; there will be ups and downs throughout the season,” the coach added. “There are 10 weeks to go; we are 15 points ahead of the second-placed team and 20 points ahead of the third spot. We are having a great season in general, and we want to win trophies in all competitions.”

After 28 games in the league, Trabzonspor sits atop the standings with 67 points.

Konyaspor, which beat Galatasaray 2-0 on March 5, trails with 52 points, while Fenerbahçe is in the third spot, further five points behind.