Çalar, banned for life for stabbing opposition players during game
The Amedspor player took a knife onto the pitch in a Turkish league match against Sakaryaspor and injured four players in a bizarre sequence of events.
Amedspor midfielder Mansur Çalar has been banned from football for life after allegedly taking a blade onto the pitch during a Turkish third-tier game against Sakaryaspor and attacking four opposition players, leaving one with slash marks on his neck.
Video footage that emerged after the incident appears to show Çalar using a small knife to attack Sakaryaspor players but the referee apparently did not witness the incidents depite the player’s protests. After the game, the four players filed a police complaint against Çalar.
Prosecutors investigating the claims have slapped a no-travel order on Çalar and ordered him to report to the local police station in Diyarbakir every two days.
Çalar banned for life
Meanwhile, the Turkish Football Federation wasted little time in banning Çalar for life, a decision applauded by Sakaryaspor coach Ismail Ertekin. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt he set out to hurt our players. A human being does not do that. If the federation had not taken the decision to ban him for life, we would have gone to UEFA to protest and get them to act.”
Amedspor president Ali Karakas had a different view of events: “This decision is completely unacceptable. It’s wilful and biased.”