Kurdish player slashes opponents in third-tier clash

Tensions were high during a third division football game in Turkey which led to several players being cut with a blade.

While Turkish football may be full of surprises, the latest incident to take place in the country’s lower leagues is unusual by any standard. During the 2.Lig clash between Amedspor and Sakaryaspor, several Sakaryaspor players are reported to have been cut with a razor blade by a Amedspor’s Mansur Calar.

In footage that has now gone viral in Turkey, Calar is shown to be poking, cutting, slashing and physically attacking several Sakaryaspor players with a razor blade which authorities claim he snuck on to the field.

Sakaryaspor’s Ferhat Yazgan took to social media to share images of injuries he and several of his teammates sustained during the horrifying attack.

Haci Omer Dogru of Sakaryaspor told police that Calar approached him while they were heading to the locker room at the end of the first half and swore at him before rubbing a sharp object against his face.

Yazgan also claimed Calar rubbed an object against his neck as he passed by him in the first minutes of the game.

The players showing their alleged injuries.

After the complaints were made and investigation took place, Calar was taken into custody and released on the condition that he cannot leave the country and must report to the nearest police station two days of every week.

Mansur Calar (middle) escorted as he leaves the police station.

In the event of non-compliance, the court has warned the player that he may be arrested.

Amedspor’s president, Ali Karakas, publicly denied the allegations that his player was responsible for the attacks and suggested the opponents, Sakaryaspor, fabricated the story to stir controversy.

In a lengthy post on their official website and during a press conference, the club shared an image of Sakaryaspor player Dilaver Guclu making an ultra-nationalist hand sign before the game known as the “Grey Wolves” sign, which is used by right-wing nationalists in Turkey. The club claim Guclu was responsible for provoking Amedspor with the gesture.

Amedspor president showing Guclu’s hand gesture.

The latest incident is another setback for the football club which has a reputation for being linked with Kurdish opposition nationals.

Prior to October 2014, they were known as Diyarbakir Buyuksehir Belediyespor but in order to distinguish themselves from their city rivals Diyarbakirspor, they changed their name, without the approval of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), to Amedspor. Amed is the name of the city in Kurdish. This resulted in a 10,000 Turkish Lira fine imposed on them by the TFF.

In February 2016, one of the club’s players, Deniz Naki, was banned for 12 games and heavily fined for expressing support for a Kurdish terrorist organization known as the PKK. He left the controversial club in July 2018 and remains a free agent.

Watch the disgraced player attack Sakaryaspor players during the game: