Support: 41,000 women
and children watched Fenerbahce play Manisaspor
Here come the girls: Three female fans enjoy the action
in Istanbul
Say it with a rose: The players handed out flowers to
fans after the game
Can you spot
anything out of the ordinary in these photos of the crowd at
Fenerbahce's Turkish league clash with
Manisaspor?
Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu stadium was packed
with 41,000 fans on Wednesday night - but not one of them was a
man.
Turkish grounds are infamous for their febrile
atmospheres, with fans often greeting visiting teams with 'Welcome
to Hell' banners. And after crowd trouble in the club's 'friendly'
against Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, Fenerbahce were ordered to play
two games behind closed doors.
But the club were keen to avoid playing at an
empty stadium and appealed to the Turkish FA, who permitted them to
bend the rules and allow only women and children into the ground -
for free.
The players were so impressed by their support
during the 1-1 draw that they threw flowers into the stands after
the match.
Stalemate: Fenerbahce could only manage a 1-1 draw at
home
The boys would be proud: Can you spot the 'Welcome To
Hell' banner?
Packed to the rafters: The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in
Istanbul
Generous: Tickets were given to fans for free
'We have to thank the ladies for coming to
support us,' said Fenerbahce's Joseph Yobo, who is on loan from
Everton.
Fenerbahce captain Alex de Sousa added: 'The
memory will stay with me forever.'
Yasemin Mercil, a female member of the club's
executive board, said: 'This really is a historic day. The women
knew all the chants. The same anthems were sung.'
They all it the beautiful game; now in Turkey
football has the fans to match...