Victor Osimhen could face disciplinary action after receiving a controversial yellow card in Galatasaray’s Turkish Super Lig clash with Antalyaspor on Saturday, December 13, Footynaija.com reports.
Osimhen was booked late in Galatasaray’s 4-1 victory over Antalyaspor, a caution that automatically pushed him over the yellow card limit and ruled him out of his club’s next league fixture. That part of the story is straightforward. The complication is in what followed.
As revealed in a report by Daily Post, the Nigerian forward could yet be referred to the Turkish Football Federation’s Professional Football Disciplinary Committee, known as the PFDK, for further investigation.
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The report claims the booking may fall under Article 37 of the Turkish disciplinary code, which deals with cases where a player is alleged to have deliberately received a yellow card.
Article 37 specifically covers situations where a caution is believed to have been taken on purpose, often to trigger a suspension at a convenient time. If a player is found guilty under this article, the PFDK has the power to impose an additional suspension of up to two matches. This would be separate from the automatic one game ban Osimhen is already set to serve through card accumulation.
The allegation circulating in Turkish media is that Osimhen may have deliberately picked up the booking, aware he was one caution away from suspension and that Galatasaray’s next league match would take place while he is away on AFCON duty with Nigeria.
Several reports note that this timing has raised eyebrows, prompting calls in some quarters for the disciplinary committee to examine the referee’s report and match footage more closely.
At the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation from the Turkish Football Federation that Osimhen has been formally charged or summoned by the PFDK.
