Turkish club Besiktas has terminated the contract of Emirhan Delibas after a dating profile purportedly belonging to him went viral online. The 21-year-old winger, who emerged from Besiktas’ youth academy, has left the club by mutual agreement, although he denies the authenticity of the profile, labeling it as ‘fake’. Delibas had made only two senior appearances for Besiktas before his departure.

While the club did not provide an official reason for the decision, it is believed to be linked to Delibas’ alleged presence on the dating app Bumble, where false information was attributed to him.

In a statement, Besiktas announced, “We have parted ways with professional football player Emirhan Delibas by mutual agreement. We wish him success in his future career.”

The contentious dating profile featured a photo of Delibas wearing Besiktas’ training gear and holding a beverage, along with his name and age, falsely listed as 24. 

The profile claimed he was a footballer for the club, provided his Instagram handle, and indicated he was seeking ‘something casual’.

Delibas distanced himself from the profile and released a statement on Instagram, saying, “I reject the slanders made by fake accounts and would like to state that my loyalty to my team cannot be questioned. Besiktas is a responsibility for me. Your love has been my greatest motivation.”

Delibas had appeared for Besiktas in a Super Lig match against Kasimpasa in January and had a brief cameo in the Europa Conference League, accumulating a total of only 14 minutes on the field during the season. 

He had been associated with Besiktas since 2010 when he joined the club’s youth ranks at the age of seven. Delibas has also represented Turkey at various youth levels, including U-17, U-18, and U-19.

Besiktas currently sits fourth in the Super Lig standings, far behind the league leaders by more than twenty points. The club exited European competition at the group stage after securing only one victory in six matches.

Former Manchester United player Eric Bailly also had his contract terminated by Besiktas earlier in the season. 

The Ivorian defender, who joined the Turkish side in September, experienced a fallout with a teammate and was allegedly subject to a curse, leading to his premature departure from Istanbul.