Another contentious football incident occurred on Sunday when Turkish club Adana Demirspor walked off the pitch in protest of refereeing decisions, leading to the abandonment of their Süper Lig match against hosts Galatasaray.
Galatasaray was ahead 1-0 after a controversial penalty—one that even their head coach believed shouldn’t have been given—when Adana Demirspor players chose to leave the field in the 30th minute of the match. The game, held at Rams Park, was officiated by referee Oğuzhan Çakır.
“If a referee mistake was made, it will be evaluated,” said Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk. “In my opinion, it was a position closer to not being a penalty.”
He continued: “This is not the first mistake made against Adana Demirspor.”
The penalty was awarded in the 11th minute after Dries Mertens appeared to be tripped. Despite television replays suggesting the former Napoli star had dived, the video assistant referee upheld the decision, allowing new signing Alvaro Morata to convert the penalty.
Frustration reportedly mounted among Adana Demirspor players due to other refereeing calls, ultimately leading the club to withdraw its players from the field—drawing loud jeers from the crowd. Speaking after the match, Adana Demirspor Deputy Chairman Metin Korkmaz clarified the decision to leave was “a reaction to the Central Decision and has nothing to do with Galatasaray.”
Galatasaray later stated on its website that the team “will win the match by default,” though the final ruling will come from the Turkish Football Federation.
“This is a great harm done to Turkish football,” Buruk said. “I am saddened for Turkish soccer. There is always an effort to make Turkish soccer look bad to the outside world.”
Last year, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) issued a 3-0 forfeit loss and deducted three points from İstanbulspor after they abandoned their Super League match against Trabzonspor.
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