Fenerbahçe chairman fined, barred from games after striking rival

The head of a major Istanbul sports club was fined 40,000 Turkish Liras ($11,162) on May 8 by the Turkish Basketball Federation for slapping a rival during a match on May 7.        

The federation's disciplinary board also ruled Fenerbahçe Sports Club Chairman Aziz Yıldırım would be banned from games for six months.        

Tension developed during a women's basketball game played in Istanbul's Kadıköy district.        

Yıldırım, who says he was provoked and threatened, struck the chairman of the Near East University Club, Işık Eyigüngör.        

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul launched an investigation after Eyigüngör filed a complaint for "willful injury."       

However, Eyigüngör was also fined 7,500 liras ($2,092) for insulting Yıldırım, and will be barred from matches for a month.        

The basketball federation's chairman, Hidayet Türkoğlu, said he was "deeply saddened by the events during the Near East University-Fenerbahçe game."