Süper Lig club walks off pitch to protest referee

ISTANBUL

Turkish football was plunged into further crisis on Dec. 19 night after Istanbulspor walked off the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision in its Süper Lig game against Trabzonspor, on the day the league resumed following a one-week suspension after a club president punched a referee.

Istanbulspor Chairman Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu told the team to withdraw from the pitch, and the game was stopped in the 74th minute.

The controversy was sparked when Trabzonspor went 2-1 ahead with a goal from Paul Onuachu, after Istanbulspor players had earlier claimed they should have had a penalty following a clash between Florian Loshaj and Batista Mendy.

Sarıalioğlu then commanded his players to leave the field in protest against a refereeing decision made by Ali Şansalan.

The match between the two teams has been suspended, with Trabzonspor confirming in a statement that play “was stopped in the 73rd minute due to the players of the opposing team withdrawing from the field.”

Some Istanbulspor players tried to persuade the president to reconsider his decision, with Ivory Coast defender Simon Deli pictured kneeling in front of him.

"It is a sad day for football... We will wait for the football federation's decision from now on," Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avcı said.

Istanbulspor sits at the bottom of the league table, while Trabzonspor is in fourth spot.

The incident came on the first day of the resumption of matches following a week-long suspension after the president of top-flight club Ankaragücü, Faruk Koca, last week went on to the pitch and punched the referee.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) imposed a permanent ban on Koca, who was arrested the day after the match.

The TFF board also ruled that Ankaragücü should pay a fine of 2 million Turkish Liras and would play five home games without fans as a result of the unrest involving fans and club officials.