The UEFA Conference League match between Besiktas and Swiss Lugano in Istanbul was marred with chaos as host fans forced the president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Mehmet Büyükekşi, out of the Tupras stadium before the end of the first half.
Worldfootball.com reports that the match started with fan protests aimed at the Besiktas management, calling for their immediate resignations.
The relationship between the Turkish Football Federation and Besiktas has been very strained over the past year, but this was not the first time that Besiktas fans have demanded the TFF president to resign.
After the incident, Büyükekşi said: “I am really sorry. As TFF management, we try to go to the European matches of all our teams. We also came to Besiktas’s match. During the matches organized for the earthquake victims, Mr. Çebi told us, ‘You don’t come to our matches.’ We made a return visit. But we encountered an environment we did not expect. Everyone does what suits them. If what happened was isolated, I would have stayed. But it was an organized event. Mr. Minister also expressed his sadness. We got his approval and left the match.”
Besiktas suffered a dramatic loss at the end of the match. Despite having a two-goal lead, the hosts conceded three goals in the final minutes of the match, losing 3:2.
Long after the final whistle, Besiktas fans remained in the stands, calling on the team’s coaches and players to explain their performance. However, none of them showed up to face the fans.
Immediately after the match, Besiktas management held an emergency meeting, with the team’s coach, Senol Gunes, seen departing the stadium at 1am.