The surreal sequences continue in Turkish football this season. After the D1 referee hit by the president of Ankaragücü at the end of a match in December, then the general brawl between Trabzonspor supporters and Fenerbahçe players last month, we were treated to a new craziness on Sunday evening at the occasion of the Turkish Super Cup between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. To denounce what it considers to be injustices towards it, Fener had already done well by lining up its under-19 team for this (supposed) shock.
And there, another twist of drama as Fernerbahçe found itself trailing from the first minute of play on a goal from former Argentine PSG striker Mauro Icardi. The young Fener players immediately left the pitch, putting an end to this Super Cup. Yes yes, from the third minute of play! In France, beIN SPORTS subscribers were then able to attend an incredible training match (with commentary) between the Galatasaray starters and the replacement team from the Istanbul club, who wore bibs.
Tanguy Ndombele comes into play with his cap
With the bonus of former OL midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who kept his cap on the Sanliurfa pitch for this historic occasion in the history of Turkish football. Great entertainment therefore, just like the press conference organized before the match by Fener president Ali Koç. “It is time for the clocks of Turkish football to be reset,” said the Turkish leader. Believing that too many championship titles have “eluded” his club in a dubious manner, he denounced the existence of a “hidden network in Turkish football for years” which, according to him, “decides the course of the championship by through the arbitrators.
Ahead of this Super Cup, Fenerbahçe had requested that a foreign referee direct this match, but also its postponement due to the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League which it must play on Thursday against Olympiakos. The Turkish Football Federation, which sanctioned two Fenerbahçe players on Wednesday (one match suspension) after the violence that occurred during the invasion of the pitch in Trabzon, rejected both requests.
This Turkish Super Cup was initially scheduled for December 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the meeting was postponed at the last minute, the Saudi organizers having refused to allow the players to wear jerseys with political slogans. The two teams wanted to warm up with jerseys bearing the image of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, to celebrate the centenary of the Turkish Republic. And yes, this season will remain sadly legendary for Turkish football, we are convinced of it for good since Sunday evening.