Football referee gets police help after ejecting player

İZMİR- Hürriyet Daily News

Police defend referee Hüseyin Sabancı after Karşıyaka’s Şehmus Özer reacts to a red card during his team’s İzmir derby battle against Göztepe. DHA photo

Red cards, violence among fans and police forcing an ejected player off the pitch marked the İzmir derby between archrivals Karşıyakaspor and Göztepespor over the weekend, ending in a dramatic comeback by the latter team.

Karşıyaka of the Aegean province raised early hopes in the March 17 second-tier League One game with two goals before 28 minutes into the first half, forcing Göztepe to call Şaban Genişyürek up from the bench at only the 35th minute. He would score an equalizer before the end of the first half.

Sercan Türkeri’s resistance to a second yellow card in the 70th minute signaled the rising tensions.

Karşıyaka’s Şehmus Özer, a substitution who joined the game in the last 15 minutes, lost his calm when referee Hüseyin Sabancı canceled a Karşıyaka ball touching the net. Sabancı issued a red card to Şehmus, who clasped him by the throat, resulting in the stadium police intervening to force the angry player, who refused to walk out, off the pitch.

Göztepe managed to score a third goal against their nine-man rivals before another angry man, Karşıyaka coach Cihat Arslan, was also ejected for his reactions against the referee. Göztepe officials apologized to their rivals after a third-goal celebration in front of the Karşıyaka bench.

The police had scarcely removed the referees from the field after the match before some Karşıyaka fans began to set chairs on fire.

Sources said Şehmus might be banned for 20 games, as Doğan news agency quoted others as saying Sabancı has taken legal action against Şehmus.

The fight betweeh the two teams’ supporters wounded several fans before and after the game, daily Hürriyet reported.

Police detained six people in relation to the fights, Anatolia news agency reported.