Blatter acted as a fan not a president
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Following the scuffle between the Turkish and Swiss football teams that occurred after Wednesday night's match that ended with one Swiss player in hospital, Turkey has lashed back at FIFA's president Sepp Blatter for blaming Turkey for what took place. UEFA's Turkish vice president Senes Erzik said he was "stunned" by the blame put on the Turkish team by the FIFA president even before reports were written over the incident.
"It is the first time in my 25-year career in FIFA and UEFA that I have seen the FIFA presidency make a statement like this, particularly on disciplinary issues," Erzik said. "I conveyed my amazement to Mr. Blatter earlier today."
Blatter threatened to ban Turkey from the 2010 World Cup and ordered a probe into the incident.
Turkey won 4-2, but failed to qualify on the away goals rule, having lost the first leg 2-0 in Bern on Saturday.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, who oversees sports, said Blatter, who is Swiss, acted "not as the president of FIFA, but as a Swiss fan. I cannot accept that Turkey be singled out as the guilty party," Sahin said. "The incidents developed suddenly, independently of the security measures... This often happens at matches. If you exaggerate this, you mix politics and sports."
Turkish footabll federation president Levent Bicakci said, "We believe that if any sanction is to be imposed on us... the same sanction should be imposed on Switzerland."
Sahin said, however, that both sides were responsible for "behaviour after the match that has nothing to do with professionalism."