Bright Osayi-Samuel Cleared As Trabzonspor Faces Hefty Sanctions In Pitch Invasion Fallout

• Nigerian Defender’s Actions Deemed Self-Defense by Turkish Football Federation

• Teammates Receive Game Bans and Fines for Roles in Incident

• Trabzonspor Ordered to Play Six Home Games Behind Closed Doors, Pay Heavy Fines

Eko Hot Blog reports that in a ruling that has sent shockwaves through Turkish football, the Super Eagles of Nigeria defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has been absolved of any wrongdoing for punching a pitch invader during a match between his club Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor on March 17.

According to a statement from the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) disciplinary committee, Osayi-Samuel’s actions “did not meet the threshold for a violation of disciplinary rules,” as they were deemed to be in self-defense.

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The incident unfolded after Fenerbahce’s hard-fought 3-2 away win over Trabzonspor, when a group of Trabzonspor fans stormed the pitch and allegedly attempted to attack the Fenerbahce players as they were celebrating the victory.

Osayi-Samuel punched one of the pitch invaders, who was reportedly trying to attack him and his teammates with a knife.

While Osayi-Samuel was cleared, the TFF did not show the same leniency towards his teammates, Dutch defender Jayden Oosterwolde and goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat.

The disciplinary committee slammed Oosterwolde with a game ban and fine for kicking a pitch invader who was not attempting to attack him.

However, the brunt of the punishment was reserved for Trabzonspor, the home team whose fans instigated the chaos. The TFF’s board decided to punish the club by ordering them to play six of their home games behind closed doors as a consequence of the pitch invasion.

Additionally, Trabzonspor will be required to pay two fines amounting to a staggering 3.1 million Turkish lira over the incident.

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This ruling serves as a reminder of the strict stance taken by Turkish football authorities against pitch invasions and violence, while also acknowledging the right to self-defense in extreme situations.

As the fallout from this incident continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how Trabzonspor and their fans will respond to the severe sanctions imposed upon them.

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