Politics spill onto pitch in Bursa-Diyarbakir clash

The announcement came after supporters of the host team demonstrated hostility against Diyarbakırspor players and fans, accusing them of being "separatists." Ten people, including children, were injured after supporters of the two teams hurled stones and other projectiles at each other. Five people were detained in connection with the clashes.

Analysts argued that the tension came as the latest example of “provocation” and said the nationalist feelings of football lovers have been abused by political figures who stand against ongoing government efforts to settle the long-standing Kurdish question through a comprehensive democratization package.

“There is a political movement or body behind the tension. What is behind Saturday's tension is a political mindset which seeks benefits through chaos or clashes,” noted Ümit Fırat, a Kurdish writer and intellectual.

Indeed, everyone was calm during the match on Saturday evening, till Bursaspor fans started to chant slogans against Diyarbakırspor players. They first denounced recent acts of terror perpetrated by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and later accused the players and supporters of the southeastern team of backing the PKK. Diyarbakırspor fans responded to the provocative slogans by throwing water bottles and stones at their rivals. Police detained five people in connection with the clashes, while injured fans were taken to nearby hospitals. Diyarbakırspor Chairman Sümer reacted harshly to the incidents and announced his decision to withdraw his team from the league.

“As Diyarbakırspor, we have always supported social peace. But they accused us of being pro-PKK. Such accusations are not easy to bear. They unfurled Turkish flags in their stands. I am also a citizen living under that flag. They tried to create the impression that the match was between supporters of Apo [an abbreviation used for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan] and the Nationalist Movement Party [MHP]. We witnessed similar tensions in the past, too. We will witness many more in the future as long as the authorities do nothing. What is best to avoid future tensions is to withdraw Diyarbakırspor from the league,” Sümer stated at a press conference he called immediately after the match.

Tensions flared on Saturday when Bursaspor fans accused Diyarbakırspor supporters of being separatists. The two sides threw plastic bottles and other projectiles at each other, injuring 10 people.

Bursaspor officials defended their team, claiming that Diyarbakırspor supporters threatened them with their lives. “They warned us not to travel to Diyarbakır, ever. They said they would not allow us to enter their airport. They said we would be called to account for today's tensions,” recounted Bursaspor Chairman İbrahim Yazıcı.

Bursaspor fans are waiting anxiously to see what action the Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) and the Professional Soccer Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) will take.

According to Fırat, Saturday's incidents were the extension of recent tensions in the political arena. He said political figures have misled and misused their young and inexperienced supporters to create the impression that a large part of the nation is against the planned Kurdish initiative.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has recently been working on a comprehensive plan to solve the Kurdish question through peaceful methods. Though not officially announced, the governing party is planning to introduce broader cultural and political rights for Kurdish citizens. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the MHP, however, are strong opponents of the move, accusing the AK Party of “high treason.”

“Politicians who don't want the existing political order to be changed raise their voice against the initiative because they know that they will perish from the political scene once the status quos is broken in the country. They provoke their supporters and produce evil scenarios. They have roots in fascism. They want wars and clashes to rule the country,” Fırat added.

The writer also recalled a past incident between Diyarbakırspor and Fenerbahçe fans and said soccer is often the scene for acts of violence. Tension flared last month during the match as fans began throwing plastic water bottles and other projectiles onto the pitch. Trouble continued after the match as a group of stone-throwing Diyarbakırspor fans fought with police outside the stadium. Police had to use water cannons and pepper spray to restore order. An ambulance was pelted with stones, smashing the windows.

Dr. Selçuk Özdağ, a former member of the Grand Unity Party (BBP) and a lecturer at Muğla University, expressed surprise over witnessing such heightened tension at the Diyarbakırspor-Bursaspor match.

“Diyarbakır is a part of this country. There may be people who have different views, but this does not grant anyone the right to expel others from the public or to insult them. This was merely a soccer match. People play sports to reinforce ties of brotherhood and develop empathy with others. While this is the case, how should we interpret the behavior of a small number of disrespectful people?” he asked. 

The academic warned that a campaign to “otherize” Diyarbakır residents would serve no purpose other than empowering the trump cards of the separatist PKK. “Diyarbakırspor faces similar incidents almost anywhere it travels to [to play soccer matches]. A wise person would, however, know that slogans against Diyarbakırspor fans would pump oxygen to the PKK,” he said and advised the TTF and PFDK to take action against provocations on the soccer pitch.

‘Enough is enough’

Bekir Örtücü, the head of the Diyarbakırspor fan group Tayfa, complained that his fellow fans were fed up with being discriminated against by rivals at all their soccer matches.

“We are tired of hearing undesired chants and slogans at every match. We want someone to end the discriminatory acts. We reached Bursa after a 22-hour journey. We were met with an indescribable atmosphere at the stadium. But the great atmosphere left, giving its place to ugly slogans as the match kicked off. … We felt as if we came from a foreign country. Every [Bursaspor] fan was waving Turkish flags. They were chanting slogans in favor of Turkey. They were calling on us to leave the country. Though our chairman [Çetin Sümer] gave the best response to all ugliness during the match, we are still in deep sorrow for facing such a situation,” Örtücü wrote in a column on his group's Web site.