A new refereeing controversy unfolded in the Turkish Super Lig as Istanbulspor’s president, Faik Sarialioglu, withdrew his team from the pitch in protest after a denied penalty appeal against Trabzonspor.
The match was tied at 1-1 when Batista Mendy brought down Florian Loshaj, but the referee did not award a penalty.
Trabzonspor subsequently scored, taking a 2-1 lead through former Southampton striker Paul Onuachu.
In a shocking move, Istanbulspor players were called off the pitch by their own president in the 73rd minute, leading to the suspension of the match, which did not resume on Tuesday night.
The scenes were remarkable, with Istanbulspor striker Simon Deli, on loan from Adana Demirspor, seen on his knees, seemingly pleading with the team president not to take them off the field.
Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avci commented, “It is a sad day for football. We will wait for the football federation’s decision from now on.”
Following the halted game, Trabzonspor expressed gratitude to their fans on X, stating, “We would like to thank our fans who did not leave our team alone in Istanbulspor’s away game.”
Istanbulspor currently sits at the bottom of the Turkish Super Lig, having accumulated only eight points in 15 games, with just one victory in their last eight matches.
