Harsh sanctions for Brown and Bardakci over Fenerbahce-Galatasaray fight

Brown suspended for three matches, Bardakci for two, after post-match altercation required police intervention to separate the players.

The Turkish Football Federation's disciplinary committee handed down suspensions on Friday following a fight between Fenerbahce left-back Archie Brown and Galatasaray centre-back Abdülkerim Bardakci after Monday's Istanbul derby. Brown received a three-match ban and Bardakci two matches. The incident occurred immediately after the final whistle of Galatasaray's 2-1 victory, escalating to the point that police had to enter the pitch to separate the players. Both were sent off by the referee, while Galatasaray's Roland Sallai and Fenerbahce's Kerem Aktürkoglu received yellow cards.

Beyond the match bans, both players were fined, as were their clubs. Galatasaray, playing at home, was ordered to pay over 2 million Turkish lira (approximately €38,500), while Fenerbahce was fined nearly 1.3 million lira (around €23,000). The disciplinary committee also reviewed cases involving club officials and the teams themselves.