Turkish Wheelchair Basketball Rivalry Explodes into a Riot, Tear Gas Used

Evidently, they take wheelchair basketball very seriously in Turkey. Fans of bitter rival teams Galatasary and Besiktas hurled objects onto the court midway through the second quarter of their game last weekend, injuring several players. Players and coaches attempted to reason with the rabid crowd, but it was to no avail, as the police were subsequently called in and used tear gas to disperse the angry mob.

Wow, and I thought we take our rivalries seriously. Puts Auburn-Alabama or Yankees-Red Sox in a different light doesn’t it? I doubt things would have gone this way if my man Sam Wyche was on the scene. Now that’s a man who knows how to deal with an unruly crowd.

You don’t live in Istanbul, you live in Constantinople.

[Via Busted Coverage, Euro News]