The trial process for the controversial derby has begun: A Fenerbahçe player will give a statement.

After the incidents that occurred following the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe derby played in the 37th week of the Trendyol Super League last season, the trial of 5 defendants, including football players Jayden Oosterwolde and Mert Hakan Yandaş, has begun, with a request for prison sentences of up to 6 years and 9 months.

At the hearing at the 15th Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul, the complainant stadium manager Ali Çelikkıran, along with the unarrested defendant former Fenerbahçe executive Hulusi Belgü and the lawyers of the parties attended.

HULUSİ BELGÜ: I ACTED TO PROTECT MY FRIENDS

In his defense at the hearing, Belgü stated that he came to the stadium to watch the match on the day of the incident and went to the locker room to congratulate the players after the match ended.

He claimed that they went out to the stadium after being told that Fenerbahçe fans were present and that there would be a greeting, but some people from Galatasaray intervened. He alleged that while the female executives were opening the club flag, there was an attack on the flag.

Defendant Belgü stated that chaos ensued at that moment and that he acted to protect himself and his friends, saying, "Later, while following the complainant, as seen in the footage, my hand may have gotten caught in his hair. There were severe insults directed at me and my team. The entire stadium came at Fenerbahçe. For these reasons, we tried to protect ourselves."

ALİ ÇELİKKIRAN: I RECEIVED A LOT OF HITS

Complainant Ali Çelikkıran stated that Fenerbahçe Sports Club President Ali Koç arrived at the stadium 70 minutes after the match, noting that this was not a routine situation.

He expressed that after Koç arrived, those in the protocol stand were called down, and this was done with the permission of Galatasaray.

"While walking next to Ali Koç, I said, 'Our fans came out. Your fans came out. What you are doing right now is unlawful.' He replied, 'Shut up. What did you do in our stadium?' All these processes are visible on camera. A flag was also opened in the midfield, and no one intervened. His photographer and cameraman exaggeratedly celebrated in the back. I was disturbed by this situation. Galatasaray was also disturbed. They started taking photos in a way that would offend. The team doctor attacked. I received a lot of hits. The person who insulted me is Hulusi Belgü, and I am complaining about him."

HULUSİ BELGÜ: THE PERSON WHO KICKED IS MERT HAKAN

Belgü, continuing his statement in tears, said, "I went to my room, my wife told me, 'Calm down.' My wife, daughter, and siblings were in the room. The person who kicked is Mert Hakan Yandaş."

INTERIM DECISION: POSTPONED TO MARCH 19, MERT MÜLDÜR WILL TESTIFY

The court, announcing the interim decision, rejected the requests of the lawyers of the defendants, Fenerbahçe Club doctor Ertuğrul Karanlık and coach İsmail Kartal's son Emre Kartal, for an excuse without documents, and ruled for the compulsory appearance of these defendants.

The court decided to hear Mert Müldür, Ahmet Ketenci, Bora İsmail Bahçetepe, and Mesut Erbil as witnesses at the next hearing and requested an additional report from the Forensic Medicine Institution regarding whether the bone fracture that occurred in the complainant was old or new, and if possible, how many days it had been. The hearing was postponed to March 19 for the resolution of missing issues.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, stadium manager Ali Çelikkıran is listed as the "complainant," while football players Jaden Quinn Oosterwolde and Mert Hakan Yandaş, Fenerbahçe Club doctor Ertuğrul Karanlık, former Fenerbahçe executive Hulusi Belgü, and coach İsmail Kartal's son Emre Kartal are listed as "suspects."

The indictment states that after the match played on May 19 at RAMS Park Stadium, incidents occurred when the technical staff, executives, and players of Fenerbahçe Sports Club entered the field to celebrate their victory.

It was reported in the indictment that an investigation was initiated against the suspects upon the application made to the prosecutor's office by the lawyers of Galatasaray Sports Club President Dursun Aydın Özbek, Metin Öztürk, and Erden Timur, and that the body camera recordings of the police officers on duty in the field were requested from the Sports Security Branch Directorate, and the received footage was examined, indicating that the recordings were silent.

The indictment also mentions that stadium manager Ali Çelikkıran has also filed a complaint and that in the health report he submitted to the investigation file, it was determined that he had a "cervical vertebra" (neck fracture).

It is stated in the indictment that Çelikkıran was sent to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Branch Directorate along with his medical reports and that a report was obtained regarding his health condition. According to the forensic report, it was reported that the C5 vertebra spinous process fracture detected in Çelikkıran was not of a nature that would endanger his life, but it was not mild enough to be resolved with a simple medical intervention, and it had a moderate effect on his life functions.

According to the entire file, it is stated in the indictment that during the incidents that occurred in the competition area on the field after the match, the suspects acted in concert and assaulted Çelikkıran by kicking and punching him.

The indictment notes that Hulusi Belgü pulled Çelikkıran's hair and hit him on the back after the scuffle, and it is recorded that the suspects committed a crime against the complainant in participation.

The indictment requests that the 5 defendants be sentenced to 2 years and 3 months to 6 years and 9 months in prison for "deliberate injury causing a fracture or dislocation in the body" and "disturbance in sports areas and damage to facilities."