Barcelona’s loan player, Arda Turan, faces a 12.5-year jail sentence for fighting with Turkish pop singer Berkay Sahin at a nightclub in Istanbul on Thursday (11/10).
Prosecutors in Turkey on Monday demanded Turan with sexual harassment, possession of weapons without permission, and caused intentional injury that was worthy of a 12.5-year sentence.
Not only Turan, The News reported Berkay who also fought with Istanbul player Basaksehir who was also charged with two years in prison. Last week Turan was summoned to the police station in Istanbul for questioning, but was still not detained.
Some reports say the nightclub fights caused Berkay’s nose to break. Turan later reportedly went to the hospital where the singer was treated while holding a gun and begged to be shot and forgiven.
Quoted from Sportbible, the incident began when Berkay with his wife, Ozlem was in a nightclub. Ozlem told the Haberturk newspaper that Turan made a suggestive statement to him. The 31-year-old player then launched an attack on her husband. Berkay was then taken to hospital because of a broken nose. After the incident, Turan was able to bring a gun while apologizing. Turan claimed to not know if the woman he approached was Berkay’s wife. The 31-year-old player had asked Berkay to kill him with a gun he carried to show his regret.
Nevertheless Turan denied reports that he attacked Berkay. The former Atletico Madrid player also rejected claims claiming he fired a bullet from his gun when he left the hospital in Istanbul.
Now, Arda Turan has been charged three clauses at a time by Turkish prosecutors and faces a prison sentence of up to 12 years. First, he was accused of sexual harassment, then possession of weapons without permission, and persecuting Berkay.
“I want to make a statement about the news in the newspaper. There are arguments on holidays where I go with friends, but the reason is not about honor and purity as reported. It is impossible like that,” Turan said through his Instagram account.
Not only Arda Turan, Berkay also faces imprisonment. The Turkish artist was charged with a lighter sentence of two years in prison.
This season, Arda Turan was loaned by Barcelona to Basaksehir. Since Barca’s purchase from Atletico Madrid in 2015, Arda Turan has had difficulty finding a place in the main squad with just playing 55 times and making 15 goals.
While according to reports from The Sun, the fight arose because Turan tried to approach Ozlem, Berkay’s wife. Since being loaned to Baseksehir, Turan has often been hit by problems. In May, the Istanbul-born player was given a 16-match ban for attacking, threatening and insulting match officials against Sivasspor.
