Turkey could be banned from the 2010 World Cup after Fifa launched an investigation into the violence that followed their play-off with Switzerland in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Switzerland lost a dramatic second leg 4-2 in Istanbul on Wednesday but advanced to the 2006 finals in Germany thanks to the away goals rule, having won the first game in Bern 2-0.
The Swiss players had to run through a hail of missiles hurled by home supporters after the Istanbul match and players from both sides clashed in the tunnel.
Swiss defender Stephane Grichting was taken to hospital with a perforated urinary tract but flew out of Istanbul with the rest of the team on Thursday.
”He has had to have a catheter put in and he will need up to 10 days to recover,” said Swiss team spokesperson Pierre Benoit.
Midfielder Johann Lonfat added: ”We were attacked. It was unbelievable. And I’m not talking about the pressure during the stay.
”We expected an electric atmosphere but this went beyond the limits of intimidation. I was told: ‘We’re going to slit your throat.”’
Switzerland coach Kobi Kuhn was also hit by coins.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has threatened to come down hard on the culprits.
”I can tell you this, not as a Swiss, but as the president of Fifa that we will act here and we will act tough,” Blatter told a news conference.
Fifa will decide on sanctions before the 2006 World Cup draw on December 9.
Penalties could range from a warning to a ban for individual players or countries.
”This was anti-fair play. The Turks had the chance to act as a good host and show that a revenge foul is not done in football,” Blatter said.
”The inquiry will show whether we will investigate against Switzerland too.”
Tuncay Sanli scored a hattrick for the Turks, who finished third in the 2002 World Cup, but Marco Streller’s 84th minute goal put the Swiss through.
As the tense match ended Swiss player Benjamin Huggel kicked Mehmet Ozdileka, a member of the Turkish coaching staff, as he ran off the pitch.
Then former Aston Villa defender Alpay Ozalan aimed a kick at Streller as the goalscorer went down the tunnel towards the dressing rooms. Huggel jumped on him and the trouble erupted.
Sekip Mosturoglu, vice president of the Turkish Football Federation, said Blatter would have been better advised to listen to both sides before hitting out at the Turks.
”It is a statement made by a fan of the Swiss football team” and not the top official of the international football federation, he added.
”Let us not forget that the incidents began in Switzerland.”
He was referring to the Turkish national anthem being whistled, the Turkish bench being targeted by defender Ludovic Magnin in the opening minutes, and Swiss striker Alexander Frei allegedly insulting Turkish coach Fatih Terim after the first leg game in Bern.
Violence is not rare in football-mad Turkey and the Swiss bus was pelted with eggs when they flew in on Monday and the Swiss national anthem was whistled during Wednesday’s pre-match ceremony.
But the 43 000 fans at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul were relatively well-behaved after appeals by Cabinet ministers for calm.
The worst case of violence came in 2000 when two English fans were stabbed to death before a UEFA Cup match between Galatasaray and Leeds United. – AFP
