Team President Assaulted! Fenerbahçe Official Statement: Club Will Sue Fans Using Pepper Spray and Other Violent Acts

August 18, during the second round of the Turkish Super League, Fenerbahçe, leading by two goals, was equalized at the death by Göztepe. At halftime, fans threw objects onto the pitch and used pepper spray, which led to the team president being assaulted by violent fans.

In response, Fenerbahçe immediately issued a statement strongly condemning the violence in the stadium and indicated that they would take legal action against the fans who used pepper spray and were violent.

The original statement is as follows:

In the second round of the league, when our club officials were meeting with relevant personnel on the pitch to resolve the dissatisfaction experienced by our fans, our fans were still not allowed into the stadium and were affected by pepper spray. Our president Ali Y. Koç and our secretary general Beraq Kizilhan also went to the stands to meet with our fans. After our fans entered the stadium, the situation calmed down, and our president and secretary general began to sit down.

However, our team president was unexpectedly attacked from behind by football hooligans for no reason.

Following the shocking assault, authorities stated that the perpetrator had been taken to the sports department to testify, but it was reported that the individual continued to watch the remainder of the match with a pass and no action was taken against him. Due to a journalist’s attention, it was revealed to the public that he left the stadium empty-handed and changed his clothes.

Our team president Ali Y. Koç has filed criminal charges against all football thugs, and the entire process will be strictly followed.

We also inform the public that we will take all necessary measures regarding the situations that occurred before, during, and after the related match.

This statement is hereby made public.