Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel received a three-match ban and a fine of TL 26,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Süper Lig match against Trabzonspor on April 27. The Professional Football Disciplinary Board of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced the ban for Demirel, whose similar antics in the past stirred up controversy.
The board said in a statement yesterday that Demirel's action toward "a staff member of a rival team" was unsportsmanlike and he was also "unsportsmanlike in his remarks after the match." Demirel had argued with Trabzonspor trainer Gökhan Kandemir while the team was heading to the locker room following the match. Kandemir reportedly shouted "you will be relegated" towards the goalkeeper of Fenerbahçe, which is indeed heading fast to the relegation zone with a string of losses in Süper Lig.
After the squabble, Demirel reportedly said he would "have [Kandemir] taken from team's bus and make him apologize," a veiled threat similar to the one he reportedly made a sports journalist seven years ago. The veteran goalkeeper was handed down a four-match ban in 2015, again, after a Trabzonspor match, when he reportedly told referees "you directed the game like you were scared of the words of two sons of b*****. You did not award the penalty shot we deserved," referring to general criticism of referees in Turkish football over biased decisions.
