Ali Koç, the head of Turkey’s Fenerbahce team, confirmed that his club would not apologize to Ukraine for their fans chanting in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a match against Dynamo Kyiv in Istanbul last Wednesday.
“We will not apologize to Ukraine. The Ambassador of Ukraine and the official representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry should apologize to us for their inappropriate statements,” Kokh said.
He continued: “I think it was an inappropriate and unnecessary slogan, far from the Fenerbahce identity. But what can we do? Shall we shut their mouths?”
After the match, which ended with the victory of the Ukrainian team with a score of 2:1 and advancement to the next stage of the Champions League qualification, Dynamo Kyiv coach Mircea Lucescu refused to attend the press conference due to chants in support of the Russian president, and Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar condemned chants in support of Putin.
The chants of the Fenerbahce fans were widely distributed on social networks.
For its part, the UEFA European Football Association launched a disciplinary investigation into the “alleged misbehavior” of the Turkish club’s supporters and condemned the actions of its supporters.
Source: agencies