Turkey bans Kurdish football club's player for life over attack on opponents

A football player of the Kurdish Amedspor club in Turkey's third-tier league has been banned for life for attacking opponent players, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said, Reuters reported.

Mansur Calar, 33, was banned from all competitive games for four years and fined 25,000 lira (3,506.6 pounds) for "attacks on opponent players" during his club's 1-1 draw against Sakaryaspor last weekend, the TFF said.

Procedurally, any suspension longer than three years in Turkey constitutes a life ban, meaning Calar will not be able to play soccer in the country again.

Footage from the match showed players from Sakaryaspor being attacked by Calar with what appeared to be a sharp weapon. After the match, the players who were attacked appeared to have cuts on parts of their bodies and faces where Calar was seen attacking.

With the TFF's decision, Calar became the second player from Amedspor, who play in the biggest city of Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, to receive a life ban from Turkish football.