Turkish football is in turmoil. The game Galatasaray Istanbul against Adana Dermirspor had to be abandoned early Sunday evening – due to the guests’ frustration with the referee.
In the recent past, the Turkish league has repeatedly had to deal with scandals and abandoned matches. Among other things, a referee was punched in the face and just a few days later, a match was abandoned by Istanbulspor’s president.
A similar incident has now occurred again at Rams Park in Istanbul. At 5 p.m., Galatasaray hosted Adana Demirspor, who are threatened by relegation. The league leaders had everything under control and took the lead in the 12th minute through Alvaro Morata’s first goal in the home team’s jersey.
Mertens hooks against Güler
But then things got hectic: Mertens entered the box at pace, deliberately hooked Güler in the challenge and then went to the ground theatrically. Referee Oghuzan Cakir pointed to the spot – much to the displeasure of the visitors, who felt they had been treated unfairly.
Adana withdraw
As a protest against the decision, the Adana players then left the pitch together, to loud whistles from the Galatasaray fans. It is not yet clear who made the decision. What is certain, however, is that the bottom-of-the-table team did not come out of the cabins, and the game was abandoned with the score at 1-0.
The result of the game has not yet been determined, but it will probably be for Galatasaray, which would distance Fenerbahce from the three points again to six points. Demirspor, on the other hand, is heading for relegation with only eight points.
