Adana Demirspor withdraws mid-match against Galatasaray in Turkish Super Lig – Türkiye Today
In a highly anticipated Turkish Super Lig clash, Adana Demirspor made a dramatic decision to withdraw from their match against league leaders Galatasaray during the 23rd-week fixture at RAMS Park in Istanbul.
Galatasaray took an early lead in the 12th minute with a penalty converted by Alvaro Morata. As Galatasaray dominated the match, Adana Demirspor’s Yusuf Barasi suffered an off-the-ball injury in the 30th minute.
Following Barasi’s injury, Adana Demirspor players and coach Mustafa Alper Avci engaged in a discussion.
Shortly after, both the Adana Demirspor players and the officiating team left the field, leading to an abrupt suspension of the match.
Shortly thereafter, Galatasaray’s players followed suit.
‘Not a stance against Galatasaray’
Approximately 25 minutes later, an announcement in the stadium confirmed: “The match has been abandoned by the referee due to Adana Demirspor withdrawing from the game.”
During the pause, Galatasaray’s substitute players carried out conditioning drills, while the starting 11 toured the stadium, celebrating with fans.
Adana Demirspor’s former president, Metin Korkmaz, explained the team’s decision outside the stadium. He clarified that the withdrawal was in protest of the controversial penalty decision against his team, not a stance against Galatasaray. “This is a protest against the Refereeing Committee, not Galatasaray,” Korkmaz said.
He added that club president Murat Sancak would provide further details on the matter.
What happened?
Galatasaray were awarded a penalty in the 11th minute after Dries Mertens was fouled. New signing Alvaro Morata converted the penalty, scoring in his second league game.
Referee Oguzhan Cakir pointed to the spot after Semih Guler of Adana Demirspor tackled Mertens inside the penalty area. About 20 minutes later, Adana Demirspor withdrew from the field, and the match was suspended.
