The Turkish football association has come up with a
radical solution for tackling hooliganism - by banning men from stadiums.
Teams sanctioned for unruly behaviour by fans are instead only allowed to
admit women and children aged under 12 to watch games.
On Tuesday, more than 41,000 women and children attended Fenerbahce's match
against Manisaspor in Istanbul.
The move followed violence during a Fenerbahce "friendly" in July.
The Istanbul side was initially told to play two home matches behind closed
doors after fans invaded the pitch during a game with the Ukrainian champions
Shakhtar Donetsk.
We have to thank the ladies for coming to support us. It is
difficult playing without fans
But the Turkish authorities later softened their stance and decided to let
women and children attend.
Fenerbahce's 1-1 draw with Manisapor kicked off after players from both teams
hurled flowers at the fans, while the visitors were greeted with applause
instead of the more customary loud jeers.
The home side's captain, Alex de Sousa, said: "This memory will stay with me
forever. It's not always that you see so many women and children in one
game."
"We have to thank the ladies for coming to support us," his team-mate Joseph
Yobo - on loan from Everton - told Lig TV. "It's difficult playing without the
fans."
Manisaspor midfielder Omer Aysan agreed: "It was such a fun and pleasant
atmosphere."
Before the game, fans were searched by all-women police officers.
Speaking before the match, Yasemin Mercil, a female member of Fenerbahce's
executive board, said: "This really is a historic day.
"For the first time in the world, only women and children will watch a game.
The women know all the chants. The same anthems, the same chants will be
sung."
Comments
Are there any men here?
Bet there was some hairy ugly women there!
concert !
Would ya?
This is something which is sadly disappearing from the English game. I hate to hear that some home fans in The Premiership are beginning to whistle opposition possession. Respect for the opposition is (or was) something that sets the English league apart from some of the other European leagues.
This initiative is what UEFA could have done after Heysel rather than ban the clubs.
Is it not in contradiction to EU law however?
This is something which is sadly disappearing from the English game. I hate to hear that some home fans in The Premiership are beginning to whistle opposition possession. Respect for the opposition is (or was) something that sets the English league apart from some of the other European leagues.
This initiative is what UEFA could have done after Heysel rather than ban the clubs.
Is it not in contradiction to EU law however?
imagine that happening at millwall... defo no would ya's there? thinking about it they'd play up more than the blokes and the illegitimate song would go down a treat too!
Working on the basis that 30,000 of the crowd were women & assuming they had a few jars in the pub beforehand, I have calculated that in the five hours lost, this would equate to about 90,000 pairs of unironed trousers, 120,000 unhoovered rooms & 727,000 items of unwashed cutlery/crockery.
If ths carries on, Turkey will be on it's knees in no time.
Can't be dealing with that..