He had attacked Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç: Verdict reached for Göztepe executive Fatih Özkan

The verdict has been announced regarding the incident during the Göztepe-Fenerbahçe match played at the İzmir Gürsel Aksel Stadium on August 17, in the second week of the 2024-2025 Süper Lig season, where Fenerbahçe Club President Ali Koç was pushed from behind and fell to the ground.

HIS STATEMENT HAS EMERGED

Ali Koç, who had gone to the sidelines to resolve issues involving fans during the match, fell to the ground following the intervention of Fatih Özkan, the Göztepe executive responsible for fan relations. Following the incident, Özkan was detained and referred to court, where a lawsuit was filed against him on charges of "intentional assault." In his defense during the hearing, Özkan stated, "My intention was to get him off the pitch; he fell as a result of me pushing him disproportionately. I had no intention of causing injury."

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç, in his testimony provided via deposition, stated that the incident occurred in the second half of the match and said, "I was pushed violently from behind and fell to the ground. I did not react in order to prevent the situation from escalating. However, I went to the police station under the stadium and filed a complaint."

The court sentenced Fatih Özkan to 7 months and 15 days in prison for "intentional simple assault in a sports area." The judge, who did not suspend the sentence, also imposed a 1-year ban on Özkan from watching Göztepe matches at the stadium under Law No. 6222 on Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports.

ÖZKAN'S SENTENCE WAS NOT SUSPENDED

In the reasoning for the verdict, it was noted that Ali Koç's injury was "of a nature that could be resolved with simple medical intervention," and it was stated that Özkan was punished because his act was committed in a sports area. Özkan's sentence was not suspended as there was no conviction that he would not commit the crime again.