Fenerbahce confirm Mehmet Topal’s car was shot at in attack after training

The Fenerbahce midfielder Mehmet Topal’s car was shot at by unknown gunmen following training at the Samandira Can Bartu grounds on Tuesday.

Topal was accompanied by the Fenerbahce youth player Uygar Mert Zeybek in his vehicle when the attack occurred, sources close to the club confirmed.

The two players were near the toll booth on the main road from Samandira when the car was fired upon. The car’s bulletproof glass prevented the gunshot from penetrating through the window and causing injury to either player.

Both players gave statements to the police following the incident but the assailants were yet to be identified or caught.

Fenerbahce released a statement shortly after the attack: “This was a terrorist attack. We condemn these armed attacks on our players and hope justice will prevail. Our players Mehmet Topal and Uygar Mert Zeybek were fortunate to be travelling in a vehicle with bulletproof glass which prevented serious injury.”

Topal was also involved in the last armed attack aimed at Fenerbahce. Last April the team bus came under armed attack on its way to the Trabzon airport following their 5-1 away win at Caykur Rizespor in Turkey’s Super Lig.

The driver of the bus, Ufuk Kıran, was shot and taken the hospital following the attack. Remarkably Topal and his team-mates managed to escape without any serious injuries despite the bus travelling at high-speed .

The Turkish football federation reacted to the incident by suspending Super Lig and Turkish Cup matches for a week.

The federation president, Yildirim Demiroren, said: “We believe the incident was a terrorist attack, targeting not only Fenerbahce but Turkish sports. We decided to postpone all league and cup games for a week. We took this decision because we attach importance to the players’ psychology.”

The governor of Trabzon, Abdil Celil Oz, said two suspects – one aged 37 and the other 27 – had been detained shortly after however neither were charged and the case remains unsolved.

The Super Lig season is set to start next week but if the Turkish football federation take similar measures to the last armed attack the start date could end up being delayed. The federation has yet to released an official statement regarding the incident.