Turkish football player drops 'N-bomb' on the field
Hurriyet.com.tr
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Fenerbahçe football player Emre Belözoğlu is facing allegations that he called an African opponent a "filthy n..." during yesterday's game against Trabzonspor.Trabzonspor's Didier Zokora entered a heated argument with Emre during the game and later told members of the press in a post-game news conference that Emre uttered the “n-word” against him during the encounter.
"This is not something that I can accept," Zokora said, adding that he was more upset that Emre was on the same team as two African players, Joseph Yobo and Moussa Sow. "It is a great shame" for a person to share the same jersey with African players and still insult African people, Zokora said.
Zokora said Emre uttered the insult in English. "It is a widely known insult and can never be condoned. It is very shameful to insult your opponent based on the color of his skin," he said.
Emre said he "might have uttered" the word he was accused of saying and added that he and Zokora had traded bad words in the heat of the moment. "I might have said bad things, I don't remember.”
Turkey's Football Disciplinary Guide states that "a football player who discriminates against people according to race, religion, language or ethnicity and harms a person’s dignity will be banned from games for between four and eight weeks."
Previous accusation
Emre was previously accused of a similar assault against his current teammate Yobo when he was playing for Newcastle United in England and Yobo was at Everton. The Turkish player was questioned over his alleged racial insult against Yobo but was acquitted of making the slur.
