Coach's head split open when fans get violent at soccer match

By Dave Kovaleski April 20, 2018 at 9:27am

Things got out of control during a soccer match in Instanbul on Thursday.

In the 58th minute of the match between rivals Besiktas and Fenernahce in Turkey’s Süper Lig, fan violence forced the playoff match to be canceled.

It’s not clear what prompted the violence, but it spilled out on to the field as fans appeared to be yelling at Besiktas players and coaches.

One fan apparently hurled an object that hit Besiktas coach Senol Gunes in the head.

It split the coach’s head open and he required stitches.

I wish you all the best coach! Too bad these things happen in football! @Besiktas pic.twitter.com/nglWQ8N5xz

— Marcelo Guedes (@MarceloGuedes02) April 20, 2018

Besiktas assistant coach Erdinc Gultekin was also injured, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mirror.

He received a cut under his eye in the melee.

https://twitter.com/futbolarena/status/987048182986264579

Things got so out of control that riot police had to be called in.

Erman Toroğlu: "Maç hükmen Beşiktaş'ın… Onun haricinde Fenerbahçe'ye, olaylara karışanlara ağır ceza gelir. Polis, seyyar kamerayla çekim yapıyor. Bu işten sarı-lacivertliler büyük zarar görür." pic.twitter.com/J9I6aHJHY7

— Haber365 Spor (@haber365spor) April 20, 2018

Eventually, officials were forced to cancel the game due to the fan unrest.

Turkish top flight football derby abandoned after projectile hits Besiktas coach in the head and he is sent to hospital with stitches. @AFP_Sport image slideshow of the drama pic.twitter.com/95TfwKz2Yl

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 20, 2018

The two teams were playing for the Turkish Cup.

The game will have to be replayed, most likely in an empty stadium to avoid any further problems, reported the Daily Mirror.

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Tags:

Soccer, Turkey, Viral

Dave Kovaleski

Contributor, Sports

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.

Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.

Location

Massachusetts

Languages Spoken

English

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Sports