The scandal broke out at halftime of the match between FCSB and Fenerbahce (1-1), played at the National Arena, in the last round of the single group of the Europa League.
The Turks were leading 1-0, and the tension built up during the first half exploded just as the teams were heading to the dressing rooms.
Fenerbahce had scored in the 18th minute, but until the break FCSB had at least four great chances to equalize. The misses magnified the frustration, and nerves quickly gave way. In the locker room area, several staff members of the two teams started a harsh exchange of words, which degenerated into brawls.
The conflict allegedly broke out following racist remarks
At the center of the incident was the coach of FCSB, Elias Charalambous, extremely nervous and hardly kept under control by the stewards. Law enforcement immediately intervened and managed to separate the camps in just a few seconds, avoiding the spread of the conflict. Afterwards, the officials and players retired to the locker room.
In the images that appeared later, you can also see several players on the bench involved in the altercation, including Dawa, Zima and Udrea from FCSB, but also Fenerbahce’s goalkeeper, Ederson, along with defender Soyuncu, according to digisport.ro.
After the 15-minute break, spirits calmed down. When the game resumed, Charalambous made a gesture of fair play, walking towards the representatives of Fenerbahce to shake hands with the opponents.
