Merih Demiral offers apologies after Turkish defeat on home ground

For football fans in Turkey Monday night turned into a nightmare when the home match against Italy ended in a 1‑4 defeat. In the stadium in Bursa supporters shouted for the dismissal of the national team coach and chairman, while the Italian side scored three times within the first half hour.

Apology from the captain

Captain Merih Demiral immediately offered his apologies, quoted by Fanatik. He called the performance ‘unacceptable’ and said: ‘We must say sorry to our supporters.’ Demiral continued: ‘We are ashamed of this performance, our apologies to our people.’

The defender also stated that the responsibility lay with the players and emphasized that Turkey still has two international matches. On Friday the team plays in Belgium, and three days later, on Monday, it meets Italy again.

Fans in Bursa called on Monday for the dismissal of the national team coach and chairman, and the Turkish media expect an emergency meeting tonight. The discontent among the supporters is growing after the heavy defeat.

Defender Zeki Celik expressed his disappointment: ‘We are particularly disappointed. This simply must not happen to us: no matter how good Italy is, it should never be 1‑4 at home.’ He emphasized that Turkey wants to win the next two matches to make the country proud.