ANKARA, Nov 19 (AFP) - Two Turkish football fans got a nasty surprise when they were fined for unruly behaviour during a first-division match during which one tried to hug the goalkeeper and the other swore at the referee for stopping the game because of the intrusion, the Anatolia news agency reported Friday.
Halil Ibrahim Aydogdu told officials that on a bet, he jumped onto the pitch to throw his arms around Rustu Recber, the goalkeeper for Turkey and current league leaders Fenerbahce, during their October 16 away fixture at Gaziantepspor, in southeastern Turkey.
The Gaziantep sports disciplinary board was not amused and fined the 18-year-old 500 million Turkish lira (about 350 dollars, 265 euros) for endangering stadium security, the report said.
The second fan, 44-year-old Veysi Saribatur, was hit with a one billion Turkish lira (about 690 dollars, 530 euros) fine for swearing at the referee when he halted the game to kick Aydogdu off the pitch.
Saribatur told the board that he could not control himself when the official stopped the game just as Gaziantepspor appeared likely to score.
Fenerbahce won the match 1-0.
Unruly behaviour and violence during matches is common in football-mad Turkey.
In a bid to combat the problem, the Turkish parliament in April adopted a package of sanctions against hooligans and troublemakers, including jail terms and lifetime bans.
11/19/2004 15:51 GMT - AFP