Fenerbahçe urges league suspension after attack

Fenerbahçe football team called April 5 for the suspension of the national league championship in response to an armed attack on its team bus as players returned from a match.
      
"We consider that as long as this attack is not solved in a way that satisfies Fenerbahçe and public opinion, a suspension of the championship is inevitable," the Istanbul club said on its website.
      
"Blood ran and football was silenced. Finding and punishing the culprits is of vital importance for Fenerbahçe." 

An unknown assailant opened fire on Fenerbahçe?s team bus late April 4 in Trabzon?s Arakl? district, leaving serious facial injuries to the vehicle?s driver in the latest incident to blight Turkish football.

The club was making its way toward Trabzon?s airport following a 5-1 Spor Toto Super League victory at nearby Çaykur Rizespor when an individual opened fire with a rifle at the entrance to Arakl? at about 10:15 p.m., according to daily Hürriyet.

Driver Ufuk K?ran was reportedly struck by glass caused by bullets hitting the team bus? windows, resulting in him losing control of the vehicle while proceeding along a viaduct. Serdal K?l?ç, a team security official sitting next to K?ran, managed to press the brakes to prevent the bus from careening over the edge of the bridge.

Although shaken by the incident, no other Fenerbahçe players or officials suffered physical injuries in the attack.

The perpetrator has not yet been apprehended by police.

Security forces subsequently provided an armed escort to the team to Trabzon?s airport, where they boarded a private jet to return to Istanbul.

Supporters of Trabzonspor have displayed open hostility toward Fenerbahçe since the beginning of a July 3, 2011,...