Bright Osayi-Samuel, the Nigerian football sensation, finds himself among the trio from Fenerbahce summoned by the Turkish Football Federation for a showdown after an altercation with Trabzonspor supporters, as confirmed by the TFF on Monday.
Chaos erupted at Trabzonspor’s stadium as jubilant home fans stormed the pitch following the Super Lig showdown on March 17, where Fenerbahce emerged victorious with a 3-2 win.
After Fenerbahce’s victorious celebrations, the mood quickly soured as violent incidents unfolded, including the assault on goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who was punched in the face.
Aged 26, Bright Osayi-Samuel is said to have punched a masked supporter who entered the pitch, while Dutch defender Jayden Oosterwolde is accused of kicking the same intruder.
According to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), a third player, along with two club staff members, will also face the disciplinary committee for their involvement in “fighting”.
A Trabzonspor assistant coach will also appear before the disciplinary board.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the violence as “absolutely unacceptable”.
Thirteen Trabzonspor supporters were arrested with five placed in pre-trial detention.
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It was the latest violent incident to affect Turkish football this season.
The championship was suspended for a week earlier this term when the president of Ankaragucu attacked a referee at the end of a first division match.
A number of Fenerbahce trips to Trabzon in recent times have also been marred by violence.
The clash between two teams in 2016, Trabzonspor and the opposing side, took a chaotic turn as an assistant referee faced an attack by a fan, resulting in the game being called off.
Just a year earlier, the Fenerbahce team faced a frightening incident as their bus was assaulted by a gunman while returning from the neighboring city of Rize along the Black Sea coast, leaving the driver critically wounded.
In 2014, tensions ran high during a game between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce, leading to the match being called off midway through the first half as home supporters resorted to throwing objects onto the pitch, directly targeting players from the Istanbul-based club.
Two years after clinching the Turkish title, Trabzonspor stirred controversy in 2015 as the club president took a bold stance against a penalty decision by confining the referee and his assistants within the stadium premises overnight.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the following morning that the referee and his assistants were released, thanks to a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who intervened to secure their freedom.