Besiktas denies racism allegations over Galatasaray's Emmanuel Eboue

The Turkish giants have insisted that the treatment of the African midfielder was not caused by his ethnic origin, but by his alleged play-acting during the match

Nov 21, 2011 6:42:00 PM

By Luis Mira

More On :  Besiktas, Galatasaray, Emmanuel Eboue
Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray) - Selim Teber (Samsunspor)
www.galatasaray.org
Besiktas has issued a statement to deny that racial motives were behind Galatasaray's Emmanuel Eboue being hit with several objects in Sunday's goalless draw between the clubs.

The Ivory Coast international was pelted with water bottles and cigarette lighters during the match, and it was suggested that the former Arsenal man had been a target of racial abuse from Besiktas' fans.

The Inonu Stadium outfit, however, stated that the fans' anger towards Eboue was caused by the Ivorian play-acting to mislead the referee.

"The treatment Emmanuel Eboue was given by Besiktas fans on Sunday has nothing to do with racism," said Besiktas spokesman Mete Duren.

"Similar treatment was given to a Turkish player during the game as well, the sole motivation for the act was Eboue's theatrics aimed at deceiving the referee.

"These are baseless allegations and should not be taken seriously, Besiktas fans have always had extra sympathy for African players because of the club's black-and-white colors. It's true that Turkish football has many issues to resolve, but racism is simply not one of them.

Besiktas is sixth in the Turkish League, with 18 points from 11 matches, while Galatasaray is third, with one point more.

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