Fenerbahce Hit with Substantial Fine for Super Cup Walkout
Fenerbahce received a hefty financial penalty after abandoning the Super Cup match against Galatasaray just one minute into the game.
Fenerbahçe will have to pay a fine of four million lira (about $123 000) for abandoning the Super Cup final against Galatasaray just two minutes into the game last Sunday, as announced by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Thursday.
In addition, the match will be recorded as a 3-0 victory for Galatasaray, and Ahmet Ketenci, a member of Fenerbahçe's board of directors, will also face a fine of 520,000 lira ($16 000) for "conduct contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship" in withdrawing the team from the field.
Fenerbahçe has been complaining for months about what it perceives as antipathy from the Federation and referees towards the club, and as a protest, it sent the under-19 players to the Super Cup instead of the first team.
In the first minute, Galatasaray's Argentine forward Mauro Icardo scored a goal, and immediately afterward, Fenerbahçe ordered its players to leave the field.
But the TFF has also imposed two fines totaling $6450 on Galatasaray for the conduct of its fans during the brief match.
Galatasaray currently leads the Turkish Super League competition, with a 2-point advantage over Fenerbahçe.
The Turkish Super Cup for the 2022-2023 season was initially scheduled to be played on December 29th last year in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, but was suspended at the last minute when Saudi authorities prevented Turkish players from wearing shirts with the image of Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, during warm-ups.
Finally, it was rescheduled for last Sunday at the stadium in the city of Sanliurfa, in southern Turkey.