Match abandoned after Adana Demirspor walks off in Galatasaray match

Galatasaray was leading 1-0 following a controversial penalty - which its own head coach thought shouldn't have been awarded - when Adana players decided to walk off in the 30th minute of the top-tier game. The match played at Rams Park was refereed by Oğuzhan Çakır.

"If a referee mistake was made, it will be evaluated,” Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk said. "In my opinion, it was a position closer to not being a penalty."

He added: "This is not the first mistake made against Adana Demirspor."

The penalty was awarded in the 11th minute after Dries Mertens was apparently tripped. Despite television replays showing that the former Napoli player had seemingly dived, the video assistant referee confirmed the penalty, which was converted by new signing Alvaro Morata.

Adana reportedly grew increasingly frustrated by other refereeing decisions, prompting the club’s decision to pull the players off the field - to resounding jeers from fans. Speaking after the match, Adana Demirspor Deputy Chairman Metin Korkmaz explained the decision to withdraw from the match as "a reaction to the Central Decision and has nothing to do with Galatasaray."

Galatasaray’s website said its team "will win the match by default," though the official decision will be made by the Turkish Football Federation.

"This is a great harm done to Turkish football,” Buruk said. "I am saddened for Turkish soccer. There is always an effort to make Turkish soccer look bad to the outside world."

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) gave İstanbulspor a 3-0 forfeit loss and a penalty of 3 points deduction after they withdrew from the field in the Super League match against Trabzonspor last year.

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