A women's volleyball team in Turkey faced an assault from spectators in Adana during a match, leading to one player needing stitches on her knee, as revealed by the club's president on Wednesday.
Mesut Karabulut, who heads the Malatya-based club, a city that has been significantly impacted by the February 6 earthquake, disclosed that he had lodged a criminal complaint against Imamoglu Belediye and their supporters.
"They said unspeakable words to our players and our coaches," said Karabulut, accusing "an abnormal crowd, mainly men" of throwing both glass and plastic bottles at his team.
One of the players required five stitches for a laceration on her knee.
"At the end of the match, the stands weren't emptied and our athletes weren't allowed to go to the locker room," he said. "Glass cups and bottles were thrown onto the court and some tried to get onto the court to beat our athletes."
Multiple players shared images on social media depicting bruises on their legs and arms.
Despite clinching victory in this year's European Championship, Turkey's women's volleyball team found themselves targeted by religious extremists and ultra-conservative groups.
The occurrence took place a day after Turkish football faced suspension due to an assault on a referee by a group of individuals, including the president of the top-flight club Ankaragucu, following a match.
Referee Halil Umut Meler was discharged from the hospital in Ankara on Wednesday after undergoing observations and receiving a phone call from president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The leagues are scheduled to resume play on December 19, and on Thursday, the Turkish football federation is expected to announce sanctions against Ankaragucu. The club's president, Faruk Koca, a member of Erdogan's ruling AKP party, has subsequently resigned.
(With AFP inputs)
