Amed Sportif threatens to not take the field in Turkish Cup quarter finals


Amed Sportif, who are paired with Fenerbahçe in the Ziraat Turkish Cup and who must play their next game behind closed doors, on Wednesday threatened to not take the field against their Istanbul rivals.The southeastern Anatolian team was punished due to their fans' "ideological propaganda" during the match against Başakşehirspor, with their supporters banned from going to the game.Due to ongoing clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK terrorists, the game was previously moved from Diyarbakır, where Amed Sportif is based, to the adjacent Şanlıurfa province.Amed Sportif Vice President Nurullah Edemen said, "If we had not been paired with Fenerbahçe, we would not have been punished and made to play without spectators. We can't accept this punishment. If it is not cancelled we will not take the field against Fenerbahçe. We will discuss this issue at our administration board meeting."Edemen also said they have demanded a meeting with Turkish Football Federation President Yıldırım Demirören.Play-off and final stages of the Turkish Cup are being played as one match.Amed Sportif's fans were not allowed to the play-off match against first division club Bursaspor in the northwestern province of Bursa upon the decision of the governor citing security reasons.