April 3, (THEWILL)- Fenerbahce, one of Turkey’s most prominent football clubs, have decided against withdrawing from the Turkish Super Lig. The club’s chairman, Ali Koc, conveyed this decision to thousands of congress members assembled at their stadium in Istanbul, on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Koc clarified that withdrawing from the league was the least preferred option among the various alternatives considered. He cited concerns that the club would encounter similar challenges in the lower leagues, rendering withdrawal an undesirable choice.
“In all our meetings, the least preferred option was to withdraw from the league. The reason why this opinion is not wanted is that people think we would have to deal in the lower league with the same things we deal with here”, Koc explained to the congress members.
The withdrawal threat emerged in March when Fenerbahce players were attacked by Trabzonspor fans after a match. The incident, involving supporters storming the pitch and engaging in brawls with security forces and Fenerbahce players, including Nigerian defender Bright Osayi-Samuel, was the latest in a series of unsavoury events that have marred the Turkish league this season.
Koc affirmed that the withdrawal option has been taken off the table until the general assembly at the end of the season. Fenerbahce, winners of 19 league titles, including their most recent triumph in 2014, currently occupy second place in the standings, trailing Galatasaray by two points after 30 games. They are scheduled to host Adana Demirspor on Wednesday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.