Nigeria defender Bright Osayi-Samuel made headlines on March 17 when he was captured punching a fan in Fenerbahce’s 3-2 Turkish Super Lig win away at Trabzonspor.
Home fans descended on the pitch after the final whistle to attack some of the Fenerbahce players like Michy Batshuayi, who scored the winner for Fenerbahce in the 87th minute, and Osayi-Samuel.
Rather than succumb to the attack, Osayi-Samuel took a Trabzonspor fan down and punched him. The Nigerian fullback was praised for defending himself by fans in Nigeria and Fenerbahce, with the latter giving him a hero’s welcome when they returned from Trabzon to Istanbul.
There was a probability that the former Queens Park Rangers man was going to face a lengthy ban for violent conduct but the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Two Fenerbahce players Irfan Can Egribayat and Jayden Oosterwolde however did not escape any punishment as they were handed one-match bans each and given minor fines over their involvement in the brawl.
Trabzonspor obviously received more punishment for being the orchestrators of the brawl and were handed a six-game stadium ban behind closed doors and a three million Turkish Lira fine while head coach, Egemen Korkmaz was banned from the dressing room and bench for one match.
It is commendable that the TFF deemed it fit not to punish Osayi-Samuel for defending himself as that would have sent a very wrong signal to both Nigerian and Fenerbahce fans who rate him highly. It could also have signalled racist sentiments considering how black players continue to suffer discrimination across European football for things that are not of their own doing.
However, one cannot but ponder the lax punishment given to Trabzonspor. Handing out a six-game home stadium ban behind closed doors and a fine seems to be the norm but it is not enough. Trabzonspor will serve the stadium ban and pay the fine but does that really correct the wrong caused by their fans?
Fan disturbance is very common in Turkey but very little has been done to tackle the problem. Last December, then Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca ran to the pitch and punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face in a league game against Rizespor. Meler suffered a head injury and needed hospitalisation. The TFF banned Koca for life and it ultimately led to his resignation while Ankaragucu were fined two million Turkish Lira and had to play at home behind closed doors for five matches as fans also invaded the pitch to attack Meler.
Stadium bans and fines cannot just do, because the malaise will reoccur. Rather tougher punishment like points deductions or expulsion from the league will serve as a warning for fans never to do such again.
The irony is that point deductions are only awarded when financial breaches are made. How much more a situation when a player’s life and safety is under threat from fans.
If points deduction is meted out to clubs whose fans engage in violent behaviour, it will go a long way in making sure the clubs do the needful in engaging and educating their fans on the need to behave properly in stadiums. No club wants to lose precious points they have accrued over time after all.
The onus is therefore on the football governing bodies such as the TFF, all the way up to the global body FIFA, to clamp down harder to ensure that violent and unsportsmanlike behaviour is never tolerated in the game.
