Besiktas refuse Fenerbahce replay after Turkish Cup abandonment
Friday 27 April 2018 07:57, UK
Besiktas say they "will not show up" to replay their Turkish Cup semi-final second leg away to rivals Fenerbahce after the original match on April 19 was abandoned.
The Besiktas players walked off the field 57 minutes in at Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium when their coach, Senol Gunes, was hit by an object that was thrown from the home fans.
Gunes was later taken to hospital and needed stitches for a head wound.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) ordered the game to be replayed behind closed doors on May 3, but Besiktas have warned they will not be participating.
"We have been on the field for 115 years, we have won, had draws or lost on the field. In order not to accept being losers, we will not show up," said a Besiktas statement.
The statement was issued on the same day Turkey submitted a bid to UEFA to host Euro 2024.
The TFF has invested 55m USD (£42m) into a new e-ticketing system in an attempt to stem the country's problems with safety at football stadiums.
"It is an important issue for us," said TFF vice president Servet Yardimci. "We would like our stadiums to be comfortable, welcoming, family-friendly. It's an issue that the whole country - including our government - take very seriously."
