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Turkish fans riot over penalty decision

Xinhua, May 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

May 19th is the youth and sport day in Turkey, however some football fans just crossed the line in watching match by riot over disputed penalty.

Dozens of Turkish football fans of the home team Yeni Diyarbakirspor clashed with police and visiting Denizli Buyuksehir Belediyespor players on May 18 after disputing the decision of the referee to award a penalty in a crucial lower-tier league game in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkish daliy news reported Tuesday.

Police used riot shields, tear gas and a water cannon to keep the fans at bay, and the match was then abandoned.

The chaos started in the 88th minute of the match when the referee, with the home side up 1-0 and approaching victory, awarded a penalty to the visiting Denizli team, who duly converted the penalty in the pivotal end of season tie to level the game 1-1. Incensed by the decision, Yeni Diyarbakirspor fans invaded the pitch and began attacking the referee and the visiting team.

Turkish football has been seeking to restore its battered image by cracking down on crowd trouble, but flare-ups remain relatively common, especially in the lower divisions of the league. Endi