The game of football witnessed a strange moment last weekend when a referee issued one of the most bizarre red cards in the second division of the Turkish League.
The incident occurred after match official Ilker Yasin Avci blew the final whistle to conclude the game between Genclerbirligi and Sakaryaspor. After the whistle, Sakaryaspor’s Murat Cem Akpinar approached the referee and extended his arm to shake the official’s hand. The match official looked to return the favour in an act of sportsmanship but then Akpinar pulled his hand away. The gesture seemed to enrage Avci who reached into his pocket to hand the player his second yellow of the night, ultimately leading to a red card.
A referee in Turkey’s 2nd division gave Sakaryaspor’s Murat Cem Akpınar a second yellow for offering a fake handshake, after their 3-1 defeat to Gençlerbirliği 😅🟥 pic.twitter.com/7UOGu2gLRj— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 22, 2024
This bizarre moment in the second flight of Turkish football has attracted the attention of several fans on social media.
One fan believed that the card was quite harsh from the referee. “Very unsportsmanlike. Something is definitely wrong with the referee,” read the comment.
Very unsportsmanlike.Something is definitely wrong with the referee— Neeka Igbara (@IgbaraN) January 22, 2024
While another felt that the player getting the booking was well worth it. “The classic! Worth the booking if you ask me,” read the reply.
“He was very hatch”, wrote another social media user.
Another highlighted the moment as a “classic”.
A referee in Turkey’s 2nd division gave Sakaryaspor’s Murat Cem Akpınar a second yellow for offering a fake handshake, after their 3-1 defeat to Gençlerbirliği 😅🟥 pic.twitter.com/7UOGu2gLRj— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 22, 2024
The match between Sakaryaspor and Genclerbirligi took place at the Eryaman Stadium in Ankara, Turkey on January 21. After a stale first half, Sakaryaspor succeeded in clinching the lead in the 56th minute, thanks to a finish from Odise Roshi.
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Almost eight minutes later Aias Aosman equalised with a penalty. The game then witnessed some drama as Hasan Kilic conceded the game’s first red card four minutes after the equaliser. Soon, Genclerbirligi’s Yasin Gureler was able to break the deadlock by netting his team’s second of the night. They added a third soon to seal off what was a dominant victory.
As the match ended, Murat Cem Akpinar who arrived in the squad on a loan deal from Trabzonspor, conceded the second sent-off of the night.
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Sakaryaspor’s 1-3 loss against Genclerbirligi puts them in the sixth position of the TFF First League table of the current season. They will be playing their next game against Umraniye on January 28 at the Umraniye Sehir Stadi.
