Fenerbahçe and Nigeria full-back, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has called for regulations amongst stadium football fans after his altercation with a pitch invader, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 25-year-old was in action for his club side as they defeated Trabzonspor to close the gap between them and the league leaders, Galatasaray.
The game ended in a 3-2 win for the Yellow Canaries but was marred by a clash between the players and some of the Trabzonspor fans, which led Osayi to exchange blows in an attempt to defend himself and his teammates.
Speaking with Adepoju Samuel, the former QPR man revealed more details of what happened on the pitch, building up to the moment that went viral on social media.
“I think they should have abandoned the game. Our keeper was hit with an object and he was bleeding, minutes after, it was a free kick and they scored from it, how can that happen. We had to defend ourselves because it was crazy,” Osayi said after Nigeria’s defeat to Mali in Morocco.
The Fenerbahçe fans applauded Osayi, and some took their time to put up a mural of his action on the streets. He, however, believes incidents like this should have no place in football.
“It is unacceptable anywhere when it becomes violent and players start fighting back. The players fighting back is justified because some of these fans are with weapons. If one of our players gets hurt, it’s not just the clubs that would have a problem, but the league as a whole. Players wouldn’t want to come to a place where they don’t feel safe and can get hurt. Objects thrown on the pitch are everywhere not just in Turkey, but when it becomes excessive, the referee has to stop the game,” he added.
Osayi’s action, according to reports, could earn him a suspension from all of Fenerbahçe’s league games until the 4th of April. The former QPR man has been linked with a return to England with Leeds, Crystal Palace, and Wolverhampton Wanderers all interested.
N.B: We want to know your thoughts. Do you think actions like these can be regulated in high-intensity games? Let us know in the comments.
