“They pull hair and scratch like women” – Istanbul derby escalates

The Turkish football derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe Istanbul was overshadowed by violent commotion after the final whistle. Immediately after Galatasaray's 2-1 win, players from both teams attacked each other on the pitch. Police and security forces had to intervene to get the clashes back under control and end them.

The pack formation was apparently triggered by a dispute between Fenerbahçe's Kerem Aktürkoglu and ex-Freiburg player Roland Sallai. More and more players and coaches got involved. Galatasaray's Abdülkerim Bardakci and Fenerbahçe's Archie Brown clashed particularly violently.

During the argument, both fell to the ground. Referee Atilla Karaoglan then showed them the red card. Aktürkoglu and Sallai each received a yellow card.

“Your captain pulled Matteo Guendouzi’s hair”

After the turmoil, those involved blamed each other. “If you look at the video, you will see who attacked first,” Bardakci said. Brown, however, blamed the Galatasaray players for the escalation. "Your captain pulled Matteo Guendouzi's hair. I saw that and defended him," said the Englishman, adding: "They pull his hair and scratch like women." In view of the tumult, sport took a back seat.

For Galatasaray it is the 40th league home game in a row without defeat. With this success, the team consolidated their lead in the table in the Turkish Süper Lig. DFB professional Leroy Sané came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and remained inconspicuous, while Ilkay Gündogan remained on the bench for the entire distance. After nine match days, Galatasaray now has 22 points and is six points ahead of their arch-rivals, who are in fifth place.