Ukraine war: Pro-Putin chants erupt at Turkish football match
Turkish football fans chanted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name during a Champions League match in Istanbul, according to Ukrainian officials.
After their team conceded a goal to Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv, thousands of Fenerbahce fans joined in the chant.
Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar described the incident as “heartbreaking.”
Dynamo Kyiv won the match 2-1 after drawing 0-0 in the first leg, which was played in Poland due to Russia’s invasion.
“Words of support for the Russian killer and aggressor who deliberately kills Ukrainians and destroys our country will never make sense to us,” Mr Bodnar wrote on Facebook. “Even football, which is so popular in Turkey, has limitations.”
The chants appeared to have started after Dynamo midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskyi celebrated his team’s lead by making an eagle gesture with his hands, which some fans mistook for a nod to Fenerbahce’s archrivals Besiktas.
Fenerbahçe fans chanting “Vladimir Putin” after a Dynamo Kyiv player celebrated scoring in this #UCL qualifier.
Absolutely tasteless 👎 pic.twitter.com/NocU0MTpbk
— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) July 27, 2022
After the game, Dynamo head coach Mircea Lucescu told reporters that the sport “cannot accept the behaviour of the fans.”
“Such chants surprised me. It’s a shame, “He continued. In response to the fan’s actions, Lucescu, a former Turkish national team manager, refused to attend a post-match news conference.
The incident sparked outrage on social media, with some users suggesting that the Turkish team be barred from participating in European competitions.
The BBC has reached out to the organisers, Uefa, for comment.
The incident occurs just weeks before the return of Ukrainian football’s top flight on August 23. After the Russian invasion in February, the Ukrainian Premier League was declared unsafe to continue.
However, officials from the Ukrainian government, football association, and state emergency services announced earlier this month that the competition would resume within weeks.
“Holding football competitions during the war is not just about sports,” Ukrainian FA President Andriy Pavelko told reporters.
“It is about demonstrating our people’s fearlessness, indomitable spirit, and desire for unavoidable victory. This is a one-of-a-kind initiative in world history: football against war in wartime, football for the sake of peace.”
The competition’s exact format has yet to be determined, but it is expected that games will be played behind closed doors in the Kyiv region and other cities further west.
Only two teams from last season’s incomplete schedule, Desna Chernihiv and FC Mariupol, have confirmed their absence. Both sides’ infrastructure has been destroyed, with Mariupol currently under Russian occupation following a protected siege.
