Southeastern Football Team Cizrespor Attacked in Antalya

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Cizrespor, a football team from southeastern province Şırnak, was attacked after a match it played with the Serik Belediyespor in Antalya province yesterday (February 19).

Cizrespor and Serik Belediyespor played on the matchday 22 of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) 3rd League 3rd Group. The game ended 1-1.

"Two football player punched a coach"

Cizrespor Chair Maruf Sefinç told Kurdistan 24 after the match that their players were attacked after the match and said, "We are astonished by the attacks against us."

Sevinç said, "High tempo songs were playing at the stadium before the game. But after the game, they played the song 'I will die for you, my Turkey' (Ölürüm Türkiyem)" he added.

"When we made it 1-0, they removed the scoreboard from the screen and put a Turkish flag instead of it," said the Cizrespor Chair.

"How can be a player beaten amidst that many police officers?"

Saying that as soon as the match ended, players Sinan Kalaycı and Alican Tez punched their goalkeeper coach, Sefinç asserted that the police intervention was not enough:

"After the two players' assault, the supporters threw foreign objects on the field. In the corridors, both players and the members of the technical team attacked our group and battered our football players.

"And the police did not intervene in these attacks adequately. How can they break the nose of our player and beat other players amidst that many police officers?

"Our two players and one coach have been taken to the hospital. Why are we being attacked?"

Statement from Serik Belediyespor

Serik Belediyespor made a statement on its Instagram account, asserting that the incident happened because "Some people from the Cizrespor technical team advanced on the referee and sworn the supporters in the stands." (AS/VK)