Schalke Drogba appeal is nonsense, claim Galatasaray

Feb 22, 2013 9:28:00 AM

SO4 confirmed on Thursday that they will contact Uefa over the striker's participation in European competition, but the Turkish side are unworried by the accusations

Galatasaray have slammed Schalke's decision to seek clarity on Didier Drogba's Champions League eligibility as "nonsense".

The Royal Blues announced in the aftermath of their 1-1 last-16 draw at the Turk Telecom Arena that they would contact Uefa over whether the Cote d'Ivoire forward was properly registered to feature on Wednesday.

However, Galatasaray official Bulent Tulun has hit back, insisting the Istanbul giants are innocent of any wrong-doing and that Schalke are deliberately trying to stoke fires ahead of the return leg in Gelsenkirchen.

"Everything is fine with Drogba," Tulun was quoted as saying by Bild. "Schalke are just trying to provoke us. What is this nonsense?"

His German counterpart Horst Heldt, meanwhile, confirmed his intention to seek clarification over the matter: "We have discussed this with our lawyers intensively.

"Not protesting at all would be negligent towards the club. We are not trying to obtain something by fraud. We only want legal certainty."

Drogba joined Galatasaray on an 18-month contract in the January transfer window after he chose to end his Chinese adventure with Shanghai Shenhua amid reports that the club failed to pay his wages.

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