Trabzonspor of Turkey Receives Six-Match Fan Ban Due to Pitch Invasion

Trabzonspor, a football club in Turkey, has been given a serious punishment because of some very bad behavior by fans. They have to play six home games without any fans in the stadium. This decision was made after a game against their rivals Fenerbahce got really violent last month.

During that game, some Trabzonspor fans went onto the field after the match was over. They even attacked some Fenerbahce players and their coach. Because of this, Trabzonspor has to pay a fine of 3.1 million Turkish lira, which is about $97,000.

Two players from Fenerbahce, Jayden Oosterwolde and Irfan Can Egribayat, also got in trouble. Oosterwolde got in trouble for kicking one of the Trabzonspor fans who came onto the field with his face covered. Both of these players were fined and are banned from playing for one game.

One of Trabzonspor’s players, Bright Osayi-Samuel, hit a fan during the game, but he won’t be punished for it. The football board said his actions didn’t break the rules badly enough to punish him.

This kind of violence is not new in Turkish football. Last season, the league was stopped for a week because a referee was attacked during a match. Other games between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce have also ended badly, with attacks on referees and players.

In 2015, Trabzonspor made headlines when their club president locked the referees inside the stadium overnight because he was angry about a decision. They were only let out after the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made a phone call.

The head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said that this violence is “totally unacceptable.” This shows that not only in Turkey but also worldwide, people are upset about this kind of behavior in football.