Trabzonspor president banned 280 days after locking up an official
Trabzonspor team president Ibrahim Ethem Haciosmanoglu has been suspended for 280 days and fined 150,000 Turkish lira (about $52,000) after locking up a referee in his dressing room at the team's stadium over a disagreement on an officiating call, according to Dogan News Agency of Turkey.
Other team officials were handed down 410-day and one-year suspensions.
In last Wednesday’s 2–2 draw with Gaziantepspor, Haciosmanoglu was upset that a penalty was not awarded to his club that would have potentially given them a victory in the late minutes of the game.
The referee was locked in his room until Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for his release.
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“I told stadium security not to let the referees leave until the morning, until I arrived, but a very important person called me and asked me not to cause embarrassment in Turkey and around the world,” Haciosmanoglu told the Dogan News Agency after the incident.
He later said that he locked up the referee for his own safety from upset fans at the stadium.
In addition to the suspensions, Trabzonspor has also been ordered to play two matches behind closed doors.
- Christopher Chavez
