Arda Turan could face 12 year prison: The Barca midfielder, who is on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir, might see the end of his career.
Turkish midfielder Arda Turan, who’s currently playing for Istanbul Basaksehir on loan from Barcelona, could be in serious trouble over the next few days. The state-run media in Turkey has reported earlier this week that the prosecutors are seeking a 12-plus year prison sentence for the footballer.
Turan was involved in a brawl in a nightclub, and the confrontation also involved a gun. The midfielder allegedly broke the nose of Turkish pop-star, Berkey Sahin in the brawl.
Arda Turan could face 12 years in prison:
According to reports from Turkey, Sahin was with his wife in an upmarket nightclub of Istanbul, when a fight broke out between him and Turan. Sahin’s wife told the media that Turan made suggestive remarks on her, which led to the brawl.
The pop-star was taken to the hospital for a surgery on his broken nose.
Turan then allegedly showed up in the hospital with a gun, and begged for forgiveness, also asking to be shot if the allegations of harassment were proven. Some reports suggest that the gun went off during the incident as well.
Turan, on his Instagram account, later wrote that he reacted disproportionately but denied the reports of an altercation, as were reported by the media.
Sahin’s lawyer, meanwhile, has stated that he fully believes the judicial process, and that Arda Turan will serve the sentence.
Arda Turan has been charged for sexual harassment, unlicensed possession of weapons, deliberately endangering general security and causing intentional injury.
Turan joined Istanbul Basaksahir in January after limited first-team opportunities at Barcelona. However, he received a 16-match ban on May 4 – the longest in Turkish club history, for pushing the assistant referee. However, the ban was later reduced to 10 games later.
He retired from international football in 2017, after another off-the-field incident, when he allegedly assaulted a journalist, both verbally and physically, during a flight.
Before joining Barcelona, Turan has played for Galatasaray and Atletico Madrid, winning the La Liga with the capital side in 2014. He has 100 international caps with Turkish national team, and played a key role in Turkey’s run to the semifinal of UEFA Euro in 2008.
