Fenerbahce field U19 side then leave pitch in Super Cup against Galatasaray

Fenerbahce fielded their under-19 side in the Turkish Super Cup against rivals Galatasaray – and the young side walked off the pitch after one minute in protest at alleged unfair treatment.
Fenerbahce had asked for the match to be postponed as they face a Europa League quarter-final against Olympiakos of Greece on Thursday.
Football authorities rejected the plea.
A Mauro Icardi goal had given Galatasaray the lead before their opponents forfeited the game.

The match was abandoned and Galatasaray celebrated winning the Super Cup.

Earlier on Sunday, Fenerbahce president Ali Koc gave a news conference at which he said: “It is time for Turkish football to be reset.”
Following the abandoned game, Fenerbahce issued a statement saying the club took to the field “not to win but to defend the truth”, adding they will “continue to stand tall”.

Fenerbahce had also called for a foreign referee to take charge of the game, citing unfavourable treatment from Turkish referees.

It comes days after the Turkish Football Federation sanctioned two Fenerbahce players with one-match bans. The sanction was imposed after Trabzonspor fans stormed the pitch and fought with Fenerbahce players during a league game on 17 March.

Fenerbahce considered leaving the Turkish Super Lig but members voted against doing so.

Sunday’s match was taking place about 1,000 kilometres from Istanbul where the two sides are based, in Sanliurfa – which was hit by a devastating earthquake last year.
Proceeds from the game were being donated to the victims of the earthquake, which claimed more than 53,500 lives.

The Super Cup was originally scheduled to take place in Riyadh in December but was postponed when Saudi organisers refused to allow players to wear warm-up shirts with the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

( Source BBC News)