After Galatasaray midfielder Melo was sent off in added time, Besiktas fans invaded the pitch, causing the referee and two teams to run back to changing rooms.
The possibility of provocation came forth after Besiktas (BJK) v Galatasaray (GS) derby match in Istanbul on Sunday was abandoned when Besiktas fans occupied the pitch in injury time and clashed with riot police.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc stated that the events sparked due to the provocation of a few people who infiltrated into the stadium to provoke fans.
Speaking on a private TV channel, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also referred to the provocation and said that it seemed that some people were trying to meddle politics into sports.
After the match neither the coaches nor the presidents of the football clubs released concrete and concluding remarks about the incident, but the idea of weakness in punishing violations and security measures at stadiums circulated significantly.
Commenting on the incident, Turkish Football Federation First Deputy Chairman Ufuk Ozerten stated they would handle the issue based on the reports which are to be submitted by the referee and observers of the match. The actions of Felipe Melo, a GS midfielder, were punished with a red card but what happened afterwards was totally unexpected and abnormal, added Ozerten.
GS Club Second Chairman Ozkan Olcay stated they were sorry for the events, but added that the incident went beyond Melo and that security measures were quite weak.
Former TFF arbitration chairman and CAS judge Prof. Turker Arslan stated that occupying the pitch might have caused more serious consequences, urging that more serious measures should be taken against violence in football.
The match became heated after Felipe Melo’s rash two-footed tackle resulted in a straight red card, after which he was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd as he walked off the pitch.
Fans then stormed the pitch, causing the referee and two teams to run off the pitch.
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) regulations state that, in the event of a match being suspended by a pitch invasion, the game will be postponed. The TFF disciplinary committee will then decide on the outcome – which in this case is almost guaranteed to be a 0-3 victory awarded to Galatasaray.
