Amedspor vice president Ömer Elaldı detained ahead of playoff match

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In today's (May 23) early hours, police in Diyarbakır, a southeastern city in Turkey, conducted raids on several residences owned by Ömer Elaldı and his family.

14 individuals were detained and taken to the Diyarbakır Police Department for questioning. The exact reason for the detentions remains unknown.

Elaldı currently serves as the vice president of Amedspor, a football club representing the predominantly Kurdish city in the second league.

Amedspor's president, Selahattin Yıldırım, expressed his disapproval of the operation in a tweet.

"We do not accept this operation carried out just two days before the playoff matches of our team on the path to the championship," he writes.

Başkan vekilimiz Ömer Elaldı @Omerelaldi21 gözaltına alındı. Şampiyonluk yolunda iki gün sonra başlayacak play off maçları öncesinde yapılan bu operasyonu kabul etmiyoruz. @amedskofficial @amedspordernek @AmedsporSK @amedsporbarikt @AmedSporDirenis

— selahattin yıldırım (@slhttnyldrm21) May 22, 2023

On Thursday (May 25), the club sporting green, red, and white colors will face a crucial match against 24 Erzincanspor, who finished fifth in the league. Amedspor secured a place in the playoffs by finishing the league in fourth position with 60 points.

Racist attacks and ban lifted

In early March, the football club faced racist attacks during a match against Bursaspor. Supporters of Bursaspor chanted offensive slogans outside the team's hotel, and tensions escalated during the game, with Amedspor players being targeted by objects such as bottles and firecrackers. Banners referencing past conflicts and enforced disappearances were also displayed.

On May 20, after a seven-year ban mainly due to ''security reasons'', Amedspor was finally allowed to bring fans to a match against Menemen F.K. Unfortunately for the away side, the game concluded with a 4-3 victory for the İzmir based team. (NT/WM)