John Terry was infamously banned for racism in 2012
#2: Emre Belozoglu
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Emre Belozoglu became the first Turkish footballer to be convicted of racism
Perhaps no other footballer has been accused of racism quite as many times as Turkey’s Emre Belozoglu. The controversy began while he was playing for Newcastle United in 2006, when after a game with Everton, he was charged by the FA for using racist insults towards black players Joseph Yobo, Tim Howard and Joleon Lescott.
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An investigation saw him cleared, but a year later he was accused of using racist insults by both El-Hadji Diouf and Alhassan Bangura. Again, neither accusation could be proven, and Emre was cleared of any wrongdoing after investigations had been launched. But when he moved back to Turkey with Fenerbahce he was not so lucky.
When Fenerbahce faced Trabzonspor in April 2012, a nasty incident occurred that saw Emre accused by former Tottenham player Didier Zokora of using a racist slur towards him. Zokora claimed Emre had called him a “f*cking n*gger”, and for his part, Emre admitted to using a “stupid word”, but claimed it was all in the heat of the match.
The Turkish FA didn’t see it like that and hit Emre with a two-match ban for using abusive language, but worse was yet to come – in June 2014 the case went to court and Emre became the first Turkish footballer to be convicted for racism – he was handed a two-and-a-half year suspended prison sentence.
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About the author
Scott Newman
Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.
Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.
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