Quaresma: “They provoked me”

Portuguese international Ricardo Quaresma spoke to media for the first time since the heated derby against Fenerbahce earlier this week in the first-leg of the Turkish Cup semi-final.

Besiktas winger Ricardo “Q7” Quaresma received a red card for violent conduct during this past Thursday’s Turkish Cup derby and exploded with rage on the pitch after his counterpart Josef de Souza of Fenerbahce seemed to overreact in order to get a reaction. The Portuguese international claimed he was provoked during the incident which led to his dismissal.

He addressed the red card for the first time today;

“The manager told me our opponents were angry as he was substituting me on. The moment I would get the ball, I was kicked hard and Souza, with his left hand, struck me in the face. After that he said some things to me and provoked me. When he came close to my nose I hit him and I received the red card. It wasn’t just Souza, there were 3-4 other players who came to me and provoked me. The referee saw this as well as the sideline referee.”

Quaresma also mentioned that even as he was warming up on the sidelines, there were verbal exchanges between the players.