Van Persie banned for taunting former Arsenal team-mate
Fenerbahce striker Robin van Persie has been banned for two matches for taunting a former Arsenal team-mate.
Van Persie slid to his knees in front of Oguzhan Ozyakup in celebrating the only goal of Fener’s 1-0 win over deadly rivals Besiktas in the Turkish Cup earlier this month.
Ozyakup, who was at Arsenal for a year between 2011-12 but never made a first-team appearance, earlier clashed with Van Persie after the Fenerbahce man was was involved in an incident which saw Besiktas defender Dusko Tosic sent off.
Tosic was dismissed after appearing to push Van Persie in an innocuous-looking incident in the penalty area.
Van Persie though went on to score the winner with 18 minutes remaining and then celebrated his goal by sliding in front of Ozyakup and baiting the Besiktas captain.
“I have a lot to say about the incidents on the field,” Besiktas captain Ozyakup said after the match. “But I won’t say them.
“Just one thing…I was very good friends with a certain player on the field. That changed today. Sometimes you see the real face of a footballer on the field.”
Van Persie’s original three-game suspension was reduced to two on appeal by the Turkish Football Federation for ‘an insult to fans of the opposing team’.