226 kilometers traveled for a penalty kick: Perhaps a first in world history

An interesting incident occurred during the İpsalaspor vs. Yeniimaret Spor match, played in the 13th week of the Edirne Süper Amateur Football League.

After Yeniimaret Spor was awarded a penalty in the 90+7th minute of the match, the referee abandoned the game when the İpsalaspor goalkeeper refused to take his place in the goal.

In the decision taken regarding the match, it was ruled that the penalty kick should be taken at a later date. In this context, Yeniimaret Spor had to travel to İpsala and back to take the penalty. The team traveled a total of 226 kilometers, consisting of 113 kilometers there and 113 kilometers back.

While this situation drew attention for a club competing under amateur league conditions with limited resources, the players reacted to what happened.

"Perhaps a first in world history"

Speaking after the match, Onur Istık from Yeniimaretspor said, "It was a goal scored in a very short time. I have never experienced such a situation in my football career. Perhaps it is a first in world history. We scored an important goal in the championship race. I dedicate this goal to my newborn daughter."

"We traveled kilometers for one penalty"

One of the players, Bartuğ Evci, stated, "We had difficulty understanding this decision. Everyone left their work and business. We have friends who came from school. We had to travel this far for a penalty that lasted only a few seconds."

"We were astonished when we heard the decision"

Koray Kaya also said, "I was the one who won the penalty. At first, we thought the match would be awarded as a forfeit. However, such a decision was made later. We had plans before the holiday, and they all changed. We were surprised when we learned we would have to travel this far."