The incident in which Sezgin Gulnar, driver for Besiktas President Hasan Arat, allegedly assaulted Galatasaray reporter Emre Kaplan, became the focus last night. After the incident, Sezgin Gulnar was detained.
The Besiktas Board of Directors issued the following statement on the official website after Gulnar’s detention:
“As the Great Besiktas Family, we are closely monitoring the situation regarding our community member Sezgin Gulnar, who was detained following an altercation caused by a message from a fan disguised as a journalist, confirmed to be under the influence by an official report, targeting our President and Vice President.
Our legal team and officials are in communication with all relevant departments. The issue here is not about a member of the press but rather an offensive message, with no connection to journalistic ethics, representing another form of societal violence threatening our country daily — verbal provocation and incitement. While we wish for everyone to come through this process unharmed and having learned valuable lessons, we are observing with concern the pressure exerted in favor of a certain faction.
Our priority is to support Sezgin Gulnar and ensure that the Republic of Turkey’s imperative legal principles apply to him, allowing him to return home swiftly. Until this process concludes, no steps should be taken that could cause further harm to our member. Our restraint from making statements that could interfere with the judiciary should not be misinterpreted as a lack of intention to exercise our rights.
We call on all administrative, judicial, and relevant institutions to enforce our laws impartially and conduct a fair investigation. Rest assured, as this process progresses, we will track the actions of all involved, from referees to journalists, and share our findings with our community and nation.”
