Ajax secured a spot in the final of the Dutch Cup after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Feyenoord, but the match was not without controversy.
Tension between Serbian player Dusan Tadic and Turkish international Orkun Kökçü boiled over in the 61st minute when Tadic pushed Kökçü to the ground.
Kökçü got up and confronted Tadic, who then made a provocative gesture with his mouth toward Kökçü and his teammate Oussama Idrissi, who were observing Ramadan and had been breaking their fast on the sidelines during the match. The incident resulted in both players receiving yellow cards.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Tadic has been involved in a controversy related to Türkiye.
In the 26th week of the Dutch League, Tadic refused to wear an armband with the Turkish flag on it in support of earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria during the pre-match ceremony at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
As a result, Kökçü did not shake Tadic's hand before the match, and tensions were already high heading into the Dutch Cup semifinal.
After the match, Kökçü spoke about the altercation, saying "This happens often in matches like this, but we shouldn't exaggerate the issue. Tadic didn't insult me. It was just a normal discussion. I don't know exactly what happened, but my feelings were high. He made hand gestures, but what exactly did he mean by that? I don't know, and I didn't like it."
The incident has added to the long-standing tension between Serbia and Türkiye, which has spilled over into the world of sports.
In 2014, a Euro 2016 qualifier between the two countries was abandoned after a drone carrying a political message flew over the stadium.
In 2019, the Serbian national team was fined by UEFA after its fans displayed offensive banners and chanted against Kosovo during a Euro 2020 qualifier against Portugal.
The incident between Tadic and Kökçü highlighted the need for players to respect each other and avoid provocative behavior on the pitch.
