Adana Demirspor made a dramatic protest during their Turkish Super Lig match against Galatasaray on Sunday, February 9, 2025, walking off the pitch in the first half after a penalty was awarded against them.
The penalty, scored by Alvaro Morata in the 12th minute, gave league leaders Galatasaray a 1-0 lead against the division’s bottom side.
The protest began when Adana Demirspor’s manager, Mustafa Alper Avcı, called his players over for a brief discussion.
Shortly after, the entire team walked off the pitch and headed to the dressing room, prompting the referee to also leave the field. The match was subsequently suspended.
According to Adana Demirspor’s vice president, Metin Korkmaz, the decision to walk off the pitch was directed at the referee board, rather than Galatasaray.
Korkmaz explained that the decision was made by the club’s president, Murat Sancak, who was unhappy with the penalty decision.
Sancak later confirmed that the penalty was the reason for the protest, stating that he had instructed the players to quit the match.
The Turkish Football Federation will make a final ruling on the match. This is not the first time a team has withdrawn from a match in protest; a similar incident occurred last season when Istanbulspor walked off the field during a match against Trabzonspor.
The issue of refereeing and accusations of bias has been a longstanding problem in Turkey’s top flight, leading to the introduction of foreign referees as Video Assistant Referee officials.
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