Turkish government slams scuffle after Beşiktaş-Galatasaray derby game

ISTANBUL

The Beşiktaş-Galatasaray game was called off by referee Fırat Aydınus after supporters invaded the field at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, in Istanbul. AA photo

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has slammed the incidents which occurred at a Beşiktaş-Galatasaray game on Sept. 22 after dozens of supporters invaded the field at the jam-packed Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul during the injury time of the derby.
 
"Those incidents [referring to the scuffles erupted at yesterday's game] were extremely upsetting and ugly," Arınç said, when asked by reporters in Istanbul.
 
"Radical measures should be taken to prevent such an incident happening again," he said.
 
Arınç also called for the authorities to find and punish those who caused the incident, saying they should be banned from the stadiums.
 
“It seems that 3,000 to 5,000 people had been prepared to stage such a provocative action, and infiltrated inside the stadium or they were allowed to enter the stadium unchallenged,” Arınç said, giving credit to claims of the presence of a provocateur group in the tribunes.
 
Sixty-eight people, 12 of whom were children, were detained last night during the injury time of the derby.

Those detained were released by the prosecutor after giving their testimonies at the Başakşehir Police Department.

The game was called off by the referee, Fırat Aydınus, with two additional minutes remaining as the supporters descended onto the pitch. Both teams left the field for the dressing room as the crowd began to throw chairs onto the field.
 
A scuffle broke out between Beşiktaş supporters and security personnel after Galatasaray’s midfielder, Felipe Melo, was shown a red card in the third minute of extra time. Beşiktaş Coach Slaven Bilic was also sent off just before the incident escalated.
 
The presence of a provocateur group in the tribunes has been claimed by some parties. "We will do what is required by the police department, given that there are varying aspects involved. We will try and determine if there was any pre-planning prior to the game,” Interior Minister Muammer Güler said, adding that the invasion was not foreseen.