What’s the story?
Ex-Arsenal striker Robin van Persie was abused by the wife of Besiktas’ Dusko Tosic on social media. Van Persie scored the second-half winner in Fenerbahce’s 1-0 win in the last 16 of the Turkish Cup against the club’s arch rivals Besiktas.
But the Dutchman was involved in two heated exchanges with the Besiktas players during the game. One particular incident, which got Dusko Tosic sent off, prompted his wife to take to Twitter before she was asked to delete the tweet by her husband.
The former Gunners striker was also the team-mate of the current Besiktas captain Oguzhan Ozyakup – a player who was briefly in the first-team at Arsenal before he joined Besiktas in 2012. Van Persie slid and celebrated in front of Ozyakup, taunting the player, after scoring his goal.
Speaking after the game the Besiktas captain said: “I have a lot to say about the incidents on the field. 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.”
In case you didn’t know...
Ex-Arsenal and Manchester United striker van Persie moved to Fenerbahce in July 2015 for a fee reported to be around £3.84 million. He has scored 29 goals in 66 games for the Turkish side since his transfer, out of which 22 came last season while his current tally stands at seven this season.
The heart of the matter
Van Persie was the target of abuse from a player’s wife on social media following his antics in the Turkish derby game between Fenerbahce and Besiktas. Television replays showed the Dutchman grappling and kicking Tosic on the field. The incident surprisingly got Tosic sent off for his reaction in the 72nd minute of the game, while van Persie stayed on the pitch.
What’s next?
Van Persie looks like he will be let off scot-free even after his controversial antics in the game. The Dutchman did not get sent off despite his kick on the Besiktas player. Tosic meanwhile, will miss the club’ s next couple of fixtures against Karabükspor and Afkhisar.
Sportskeeda’s take
The Dutchman was a prolific striker in his time in the Premier League and it’s quite surprising to see him behave in such a manner, especially towards the end of his career. Competition and passion are always great, but players must learn where to draw the line and be professional. Hopefully, such antics do not continue and he focusses on goal scoring instead.
