By Olaitan Ibrahim
In a stunning turn of events, Adana Demirspor made the unprecedented decision to withdraw from their highly-anticipated Turkish Super Lig match against league leaders and Victor Osimhen’s team, Galatasaray, during the 23rd-week fixture at RAMS Park in Istanbul.
The controversy began in the 12th minute when Galatasaray’s Dries Mertens was judged to have been fouled by Adana Demirspor’s Semih Guler inside the penalty area, prompting referee Oguzhan Cakir to award a penalty.
Alvaro Morata converted the penalty, scoring his second league goal and giving Galatasaray an early lead.
However, the match took a dramatic turn in the 30th minute when Adana Demirspor’s Yusuf Barasi suffered an off-the-ball injury.
Following a heated discussion between Adana Demirspor players and coach Mustafa Alper Avci, the team made the shocking decision to abandon the match in protest of the contentious penalty decision.
The stadium announcer confirmed the abandonment of the match, stating, “The match has been abandoned by the referee due to Adana Demirspor withdrawing from the game.”
Galatasaray’s players, who had been celebrating with fans during the pause, eventually left the field.
Adana Demirspor’s former president, Metin Korkmaz, clarified that the team’s withdrawal was a protest against the Refereeing Committee’s decision, not a stance against Galatasaray.
“This is a protest against the Refereeing Committee, not Galatasaray,” Korkmaz emphasized, adding that club president Murat Sancak would provide further details on the matter.
The abandonment of the match has sent shockwaves through the Turkish Super Lig, raising questions about the use of protests as a means of expressing dissent and the potential consequences for Adana Demirspor.