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Driver injured in attacks on Fenerbahce team bus

April 5, 2015

The driver of a bus carrying Turkey's Fenerbahce football team has been wounded after the vehicle was shot at. None of the players were injured and the club is calling for the championship to be halted.

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Fußball Türkei Mannschaft Bus Schüsse Fußballteam
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Turkish heavyweights Fenerbahce are calling for a suspension to the Turkish league championship after a gun attack on the team bus that left the driver with serious injuries.

The bus of the 19-time Turkish champions came under fire as the team drove through the northeastern town of Trabzon after a 5-1 win at Rizespor. Several shots were fired at the bus and the driver managed to bring the bus to a halt after the incident.

The club's vice president, Mahmut Uslu, who was on the bus at the time, said the attack was planned to "crash the bus and kill the players." "It's unbelievable," Uslu told Turkish television in the wake of the attack.

Fenerbahce, who are currently top of the Turkish championship, are calling for a suspension to the league that has seen its fair share of controversy in recent seasons.

"We consider that as long as this attack is not solved in a way that satisfies Fenerbahce and public opinion, a suspension of the championship is inevitable," the club said on its official website.

"Blood ran and football was silenced. Finding and punishing the culprits is of vital importance for Fenerbahce."

In 2011, Fenerbahce were suspended by UEFA after investigations into match-fixing that saw the Istanbul club take the league championship ahead of Trabzonspor.

Ninety-three people were convicted, including Fenerbahce Chairman Aziz Yildirim. Last June, an Istanbul court ordered a retrial in light of new evidence.

A statement from the TFF called for the perpetrators to be 'brought to justice' and the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in touch with local authorities on the investigation into the attacks.

rd / (AFP, AP)