Saturday’s Turkish Superliga game between Bursaspor and Diyarbakirspor didn’t get off to the best of starts – not the ‘best of starts’ as defined by Turkish authorities at least; it erupted into an ancient stoning ceremony by Diyarbakirspor fans even before the whistle. This apparently in response to racial prodding from Bursaspor fans earlier in the year. By Sunday, Diyarbakirspor’s stadium has been closed for the remainder of the season. (Merely five games, but ‘remainder of the year’ sounds much more dramatic.)

Violence as the dirty mistress lover of football has never been surprising. What is surprising is that it took 15 minutes for them to call the game when players were being pelted well before kickoff. It’s this type of this which will see ten injured and an assistant linesman pelted in the head with a rock.

Which is precisely what happened. How did they not see this coming?

* – Also: needing a riot team to protect the corner kicks is typically a dead giveaway the game shouldn’t be happening.

What I’d like to know is how this many stones were found and/or allowed inside the stadium? Do they not have a cleaning crew of any sort? Or was it not suspicious when 80 pound pillow cases were being hauled into the stadium? Or, worse, is the stadium breaking apart this easily? If so don’t tell Italy – they’ll never build another stadium if they think there’s worse out there.

Stonings, S.W.A.T. teams, stadium closings, racial slurs, police escorts & abruptly halted matches: just your typical weekend in football.

March 9, 2010