Besiktas coach sustains head injury

ISTANBUL: The coach of top Turkish football side Besiktas on Friday left hospital after sustaining a head injury that required five stitches when a projectile was thrown in a chaotic and violent cup match against arch Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce.

Senol Gunes collapsed to the ground when he was hit by the projectile, apparently thrown from the stands, in an ugly incident that underlined the continued issues with crowd behaviour in Turkish football.

“The night football died,” was the headline in the Hurriyet daily. “Football in emergency care,” added the Fanatik sports daily above a picture of Gunes in hospital on a stretcher.The match, a second leg semi final cup clash at Fenerbahce’s ground, was abandoned in the 57th minute after the incident with the score at 0-0.

Gunes, 65, the legendary former Turkish international goalkeeper who has led Besiktas to two consecutive championship titles, was taken by his own medical staff to the changing rooms where he received five stitches to the head wound.He was later taken to hospital and Turkish media said he was finally allowed to go home early in the morning after spending the night under observation.