Ismail Kartal Reveals Trabzon Incident Details: The Real Events Unfolded in the Dressing Room Corridors
Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal revealed the Trabzon incidents to Hürriyet: "The real incidents took place in the dressing room corridors."
Fenerbahçe’s Coach İsmail Kartal detailed the Trabzon incidents to Hürriyet.
Ismail Kartal and Abdullah Avcı are two technical managers whom I greatly appreciate and respect. I’ve occasionally criticized and supported their football approach within the boundaries of journalism. There may be admirers and critics alike. But these two technical managers share a common trait; they are both gentlemen and sports lovers.
SAD AND AT THE SAME TIME REPROACHFUL
Yesterday, I contacted both of my coaches. I wanted to hear their thoughts after the events. Abdullah Avcı said he didn’t want to talk about this issue, and I respect his approach. I witnessed him making efforts to calm the situation. As for İsmail Kartal… It was impossible not to feel the sorrow in his voice. He was sad but also reproachful. I’d like to convey our conversation without altering a word…
BUSINESSMEN, SAYING ‘WE WON’T LET FENERBAHÇE BECOME CHAMPIONS,’ AGGRAVATED THE FANS
Since the beginning of the season, we have been trying to stay on the field. We strive not to argue with anyone, not to get involved with anyone. But unfortunately, we are constantly pushed to one side. The real incidents started days before in Trabzon.
There were those who openly stated, “We won’t let Fenerbahçe become champions.” It’s possible. It’s their right. Of course, they’ll want to beat us. But to incite people… The situation escalated to this point. Moreover, those who did this were well-known businessmen, prominent figures in society…
MY SON GOT INJURED WHILE TRYING TO PROTECT FRED
The match ended. My players, in a tough away game, gathered in the middle of the field with the joy of winning a difficult match. They were celebrating together.
They say this celebration was provocative. During a period where we hadn’t lost in Kadıköy for 23 matches, Trabzonspor defeated us. They threw their goalkeeper into the air out of joy. They won, they have the right to celebrate. Did a single incident occur that day?
We won in the match in Trabzon, and our players celebrated. Why are you taking issue with that? Shouldn’t my player defend himself in that attack?
THEY HIT WITH A DRUMSTICK
But the real incidents took place in the dressing room corridors. It’s not clear who hit whom. Coaches got involved in the incident, attacked, got into fights. At one point, they attacked Fred. My son got injured while trying to protect him. They hit him on the head with a drumstick. You wouldn’t believe your eyes, but the atmosphere turned into complete chaos.
At that moment, Osayi-Samuel was also attacked. He was pushed down a 3-step staircase and hit his head on the wall. At that moment, the player also experienced a brief loss of consciousness.
THEY THREW FLARES ON MY INJURED GOALKEEPER
The second half of the match began. Water bottles started to be thrown onto the field as well. I collected some of them in the dugout. But as the minutes passed, the situation worsened. The wing where Dusan Tadic and Ferdi Kadıoğlu were located, pardon the expression, turned into a mess.
I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS
My players can’t go. We can’t even cross into the opponent’s half. My players are anxious. In all my years of playing and coaching, I truly haven’t seen anything like this. Think about it, my goalkeeper got injured, and then they threw a flare at him, while the referee watched.
YOU LAUGH WHEN YOU LOSE 5-1, WHY DIDN’T YOU SHOW THIS REACTION THEN
When we entered the dressing room, we felt a bit relieved. You could see the fear in the eyes of the team and the players. We all hugged each other.
Then I thought, shouldn’t we become champions? Shouldn’t we play for the championship? You laugh when you lose 5-1. Then why didn’t you show this reaction in that defeat?
They are doing injustice to Fenerbahçe and to me. There are recordings of those scenes in the corridor. They’re there, both on Fenerbahçe TV and elsewhere. As I said, we narrowly avoided a disaster.
THEY BECOME EMPERORS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ME, ‘IS THIS A COACH?’ IT HURTS MY PRIDE
I say it’s unfair, yes, unfair. I’m on a razor’s edge here. There’s no support, neither in the media nor in my own community! The coach is bad. These things are being done to a coach and a team that made it to the top 8 in Europe, that earned the most country points. If a foreign coach did what I did, they would erect a statue for him. But some people become emperors, become the best coach in the world. But when it comes to İsmail Kartal, they say, ‘Is this a coach?’ It hurts my pride, it hurts me. My team’s path is being blocked too.