Fenerbahce played an under-19 side in their Turkish Super Cup final against Galatasaray – only for the team to walk off within a minute of the first whistle in protest of alleged unfair treatment.
There was initially a request from Fenerbahce to have Sunday’s final postponed due to their Europa League quarter-final against Olympiakos of Greece on Thursday. This request was denied by the Turkish Football Federation.
Mauro Icardi netted the opener for Galatasaray within one minute before their opponents walked off the pitch, forfeiting.
Following the abandoned match, Fenerbahce issued a statement saying that the club and its players did not take to the pitch to win, but to “defend the truth”.
“For the past 20 years, Fenerbahçe Sports Club has been fighting against an unjust football system in Turkey,” the statement read.
“The Fenerbahçe community continues to demonstrate a stance against the unfair system in Turkish football through both sporting and legal means.
“Following these decisions and in response to the Turkish Football Federation’s final rejection and all the injustices faced, Fenerbahçe came very close to winning the Super Cup Final by fielding their Under-19 Football Team. The match ended with our team’s withdrawal from the field.”
The club went on to express their desire to have foreign referees take charge of games, with treatment from local officials being questioned by Fenerbahce.
Pictured above: Fenerbahce take on Galatasaray.
Image source: @footballtalkhq
