Tens of thousand of supporters filled the football stadium on Monday for the decisive game between Amedspor, the most popular football club for Kurdish football fans in Turkey, and Tarsus İdman Yurdu. Police used water cannons and pepper gas to push back a large crowd who were left outside the stadium and wanted to get in.
The match in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır (Amed) was of vital importance for both teams, since the result would determine which team would be promoted from the second to the first football league.
The four armoured water cannon trucks continued to fire high pressurised water at the young supporters until they ran out of water.
The supporters in return chanted ‘Amed’, and manoeuvred en masse back and forth to avoid the pressurised water shots and pepper gas fired at them by the police, and some responded by throwing fireworks towards the police lines.
For all their efforts the police were not able to push back the cheering, excited crowd, but despite the incredible support of its fans inside and outside the stadium, Amedspor could not make it to the first league.
After the game with extra time ended without goals, and the sides were scored equal after five penalties, the shootout was extended, and Amedspor’s rival managed to win the game with one penalty goal.
