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Report: Someone might have shot a soccer team’s bus after match

By Will Osgood

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A team bus carrying the soccer club Fenerbahce was reportedly shot at as the team traveled home from their match against Rizespore. 

Intense violence is the name of the game in much of the middle east region in today’s world, sadly. Generally, though, it is motivated by religious or political disagreement and/or an imperialistic attitude.

Rarely does it take place as a result of such a seemingly unimportant dynamic as the world of sport. But Saturday, a soccer team had their bus shot at as they were driving home after their game in northern Turkey, according to the region’s governor.

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The bus was carrying the Fenerbahce team, driving home after a 5-1 victory over the Black Sea side Caykur Rizespore in a Turkish Superior League contest. The bus was headed to the airport to fly to back to Istanbul.

The bus driver was wounded and taken to the hospital immediately. Abdulcelil Oz, the governor of the region, confirmed that piece of information and clarified that the immediate witness and investigation revealed that the driver was hit by a bullet, after the initial evidence suggested he was hit by a stone.

Fenerbahce television reports reported that the bus was attacked by an assailant with a shotgun (not a rifle). Security officers on the bus reportedly took control of the situation immediately, stopping the bus to prevent the bus from crashing and preventing any of the team’s players or coaches from being injured.

The bus was on the way from the City of Rize, where the game was played, to the airport in Ankara, travelling along the highway. For the average American who has not spent much time overseas, the arrangement of a major sports team playing games in a city where there is not an airport seems strange.

But it is common overseas.

The governor, Oz, said that an investigation was immediately launched and that they hoped to find and catch the assailant as soon as possible.

The motivation was not immediately known or even guessed at, and it is hard to even venture a guess from our perspective. Of nations in the middle east region, Turkey is the least violent, at least in terms of terrorism.

Clearly this is not in that realm.

[H/T: Fox Soccer]

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