Eto’o returns after racism row but Antalyaspor lose

Eto'o forgiven

Samuel Eto'o was recalled by Turkish Süper Lig outfit Antalyaspor on Sunday after being dropped for allegedly accusing club directors of racism on social media. Chairman Ali Safak Ozturk said the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea star had been forgiven after expressing regret for the remarks.

Antalyaspor will certainly need all of the 35-year-old striker's skill and experience to get them out of their current slump; the team is mired at the bottom of the table with just two points from the first six games. Eto'o was included in the team list which for this afternoon’s meeting with Galatasaray, coming on as a sub on 29 minutes.

New defeat to Galatasaray

Antalyaspor took a first-half lead and Eto'o had a goal disallowed. But one goal from Galatasaray's Selçuk Inan and two late strikes from Lukas Podolski gave the hosts a 3-1 win.

The Antalya-based outfit had pinned their hopes on Eto’o to guide them to success when they signed him in June 2015. But last month, after criticism of his own performance, Eto'o had written on his Instagram account that “some people do not feel respect for me because I am black”.

Many saw that as a direct dig at club chairman Ozturk. Eto'o was dropped and ordered to train alone. Ozturk said that Eto'o had expressed regret over the posting and had insisted it was not aimed against the club leadership, saying “We have taken him back into the team again. These are very important issues not just for this player but players across the world. We think our player will behave more carefully and make a contribution to the team”.