Turkish player sent off for showing the referee his own red card

Trabzonspor player Salih Dursun was sent off after showing dissent to the referee by picking up and brandishing his red card, moments after his team-mate has been sent off. The incident left Trabzonspor with just seven players on the pitch, yet Galatasaray still required a last-minute Selcuk Inan penalty to snatch a 2-1 victory.

Dursun seized his opportunity after team-mate Luis Cavanda had been dismissed. Trabzonspor’s players, already reduced in number after two earlier red cards, surrounded referee Deniz Bitnel, causing him to drop his red card. Dursun picked it up and waved it at the referee, who took it back and returned the favour, ordering the Turkish utility player off the pitch. Earlier in the match, midfielder Ozer Hurmaci and defender Aykut Demir were both sent off for picking up two yellow cards, while Lukas Podolski and Wesley Sneijder were booked for the hosts. Podolski equalised for Galatasaray after an hour, cancelling out Erkan Zengin’s opener for Trabzonspor, which also came from the penalty spot.

It’s not the first time this season that Trabzonspor have been embroiled in refereeing controversy. In October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, had to intervene after Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, the club’s president, locked four match officials inside the stadium, following a 2-2 draw with Gaziantepspor. They were released after four hours.
Players showing cards to match officials is not unprecedented. During his time at Rangers, Paul Gascoigne was booked in a fixture against Hibernian after showing referee Dougie Smith a yellow card in jest. Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer showed Matt Messias a red card after the official inadvertently elbowed Leicester City’s Robbie Savage in the face.

Source: The Independent