04.09.2025 15:39
In the first round match of the Turkish Cup, Diyarbekirspor, who was set to host Bitlis 1916 Football Sports Club at home, did not take to the field. While the match was suspended, Diyarbekirspor's head coach Mehmet Sedef stated, "I want to address the federation from here. How are we supposed to have 22 players play here at 3 PM in 40-degree heat?"
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In the first round match of the Ziraat Turkey Cup, Diyarbekirspor, who hosted Bitlis 1916 Football Sports Club at home, did not take the field.
"HOW ARE WE GOING TO PLAY IN THIS HEAT?" While the match was suspended, Diyarbekirspor FK Technical Director Mehmet Sedef stated, "As you can see, it is currently around 39-40 degrees at 3 PM. We all came here as a team to be able to play the match. But unfortunately, you came and saw that the field is not suitable, the changing rooms are not suitable, the benches are not suitable, and the weather is not suitable at all. First of all, I want to address the federation from here. How are we going to have 22 players play here at 40 degrees at 3 PM?" he said.
In the first round match of the Ziraat Turkey Cup, Diyarbekirspor hosted Bitlis 1916 Football Sports Club at the Şilbe Sports Facilities owned by the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality. When the Diyarbekirspor players did not take the field, the players of Bitlis 1916 Football Sports Club and the referees went to the changing room one minute after arriving at the center of the field. The referee of the match, Erdem Demirtaş, suspended the match.
MEHMET SEDEF: THE WEATHER IS NOT SUITABLE Diyarbekirspor Club Technical Director Mehmet Sedef expressed that they did not take the field due to the ground conditions and temperature, stating, "As you can see, it is currently around 39-40 degrees at 3 PM. We all came here as a team to be able to play the match. But unfortunately, you came and saw that the field is not suitable, the changing rooms are not suitable, the benches are not suitable, and the weather is not suitable at all. First of all, I want to address the federation from here. How are we going to have 22 players play here at 40 degrees at 3 PM? I mean, I am asking this from a health perspective. Secondly, as Diyarbekirspor FK, are we not the team of this city? I especially want to address the top-level administrators of the city here. I am asking them for something. I mean, there are already two teams in the city. We have one stadium. Don't we have a Diyarbakır stadium? Why can't we play in this stadium? I am very curious about this. Our goal is to promote this team to a higher league. Then to another higher league. I believe that the league that Diyarbakır city should be in is the Super League. There are 2.5 million people living in this city. We have been training with these kids for 20 days. We already gathered late. The conditions were not very good, but somehow these kids and we as a team are preparing. I mean, we only want support for one thing. We do not want money, we do not want stamps. We just want to play matches in the stadium. We can only promote this team to a higher league this way. I am asking the Governor, the Mayor, and the District Governor. I am asking individually. Then I am asking on behalf of my team. Look, you also came in this heat. You did nothing. I am sure you have lost about 1 kilo. I mean, let me say this, you all are drenched in sweat. We are putting in effort here. There is blood, sweat, tears, everything. We want to receive something in return for this. Just as support, why can't we play in our own stadium? I want this support. Other than that, our work is progressing very well. Let's see what will happen by the weekend, what kind of decision will come out, what kind of support will come from our top-level administrators? I am curious about the answer to this," he said.
ALI FIRAT OKUR: PLAYING THE MATCH IN THE EVENING WOULD BE VERY GOOD FOR US IN THIS HEAT The club's team captain Ali Fırat Okur stated that the ground was not suitable for playing the match, saying, "As mentioned, the weather is 40 degrees where we are sweating. God forbid, if one of our footballer brothers has a heart attack, who will pay for this? We are expecting support from the city's bigwigs. We expect them to help us. I mean, the people here, the presidents, our presidents have invested here, taken care of the team. In return, we just want to play in a stadium. If we could play an evening match, it would be very good for us in this heat. The ground is also very bad for injuries, the changing room is bad, everywhere is bad. I have never seen such a thing in a stadium before. I don't know how it will be," he said.
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