Fenerbahce to stay in Turkish Super Lig for now, chairman says

ANKARA : Fenerbahce decided not to go through with their threat of withdrawing from the Turkish Super Lig on Tuesday, the club's chairman told thousands of congress members gathered in their stadium in Istanbul.

"In all our meetings, the least preferred option was to withdraw from the league. The reason why this opinion is not wanted is that people think we would have to deal in the lower league with the same things we deal with here," club chairman Ali Koc told the congress.

"We are taking this option off the table until the general assembly at the end of the season," Koc added.

In March, Fenerbahce said they would consider withdrawing from the league after their players were attacked by Trabzonspor fans during a match.

Trabzonspor supporters stormed the pitch and brawled with security forces and Fenerbahce players after their team lost 3-2, the latest in a number of incidents that have dogged the Turkish league this season.

Fenerbahce, who won their 19th league title in 2014, are second in the standings after 30 games - two points behind Galatasaray. They are due to host Adana Demirspor on Wednesday.