Türkgücü München players boycotted training and matches in a dispute with coach Slaven Skeledzic, with the club and its sponsor backing the coach. Main sponsor Alagöz Holding also announced its withdrawal after Türkgücü lost 6-1 to Wacker München in the Landesliga Südost and cancelled their match at VfB Hallbergmoos-Goldach on Friday.
Boycott and match result
Türkgücü München lost 6-1 to Wacker München in the Landesliga Südost. GOAL reported that the players who were supposed to play against Wacker München sat outside together in tracksuits and watched from wooden benches because they had gone on strike.
In a statement, the players said: "Our aim was and is not to harm the club, but to bring about a change so that we can once again play football for Türkgücü München together, with joy and complete conviction."
Cancelled fixture and players' account
Türkgücü cancelled their match at VfB Hallbergmoos-Goldach on Friday. The team had completed two training sessions without the coach to prepare for the away match in the north of Munich.
GOAL reported that the players found out about the cancellation through a notification from the Bavarian Football Association rather than an internal announcement. Captain Burhan Bahadir said: "We wanted to play and were ready. When we saw the cancellation, we were all stunned."
Club and sponsor back the coach
Skeledzic and the club's leadership stood together against the team's allegations. On Sunday, the board posted a statement on the club's Instagram channel saying: "Some senior players, for example, deliberately agreed among themselves not to follow the match tactics and thereby, of course, caused chaos on the pitch."
The club also said: "This behaviour, which is damaging to the club, will not be tolerated. The board will therefore use all means at its disposal to counter it and prevent further harm to Türkgücü München."
Türkgücü chairman Ertürk Alagöz said: "I have a very strong sense of justice. And this man is being wrongly accused," He also said: "I would rather shut down operations than give in to these players." Main sponsor Alagöz Holding announced its withdrawal.
Coach statement and possible action
On Monday, Skeledzic issued a lengthy statement criticising the striking players and thanking the club's leadership and the sponsor. He said 21 players had boycotted training and matches. Skeledzic has coached Türkgücü München since the end of March.
Skeledzic said: "The boycott of training and matches raised by 21 players is one of the most disappointing experiences of my coaching career so far. It was an unjustifiable action. The boycotting players have caused serious harm to the club and to me personally. Just because there are 21 players does not mean that their version of events becomes 'more correct'."
The coach called the allegations against him "completely excessive" and said he reserved the right to take "legal action". The club said it reserved the right to take action against the striking players.
