A new chapter to the extended history of turmoil in the Turkish league was written on Sunday when Adana Demirspor abandoned their Süper Lig match against Galatasaray at Rams Park, after making intense protests asbout what they perceived as a dubious refereeing decision.
In the 11th minute, Galatasaray was awarded a spot-kick after Dries Mertens was adjudged to have been tripped and Alvaro Morata, the club's new signing, converted the penalty.
However, replays then suggested that Mertens had exaggerated the contact, which caused strong reactions from Adana Demirspor players and officials as Jakob Alexander Sundberg upheld the decision in the VAR room.
As additional officiating calls caused further frustrations, Adana Demirspor’s players abruptly left the pitch following a decision taken by club president Bedirhan Durak in the 32nd minute.
After the match Durak decided to resign after being harassed on social media. “I am resigning from the presidency, which was granted to me for the sake of my club, my family, my loved ones and my health, for a better tomorrow,” Durak said in a statement.
The contrversy led Turkish reporters to chase Jakob Alexander Sundberg into the airport Monday to get a reaction from the Danish VAR-referee.
"Did you call the referee?", "What do you think of the penalty?", "Did you do anything to have it canceled?" are some of the questions heard from the reports filming the incident.
The Danish referee, however, remain completely silent and alternately looks down at the ground and at the journalist with a strained smile.
"Can you say yes or no? When you don't say anything, does that mean yes?'' the questions continue before the Dane reaches the airport and the camera turns off.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is expected to award a forfeit win to Galatasaray, as indicated on their website.