Inside Volley Board

Turkey bans men; 41,000 women, kids at soccer game

Turkey tried a new approach to curbing crowd violence at soccer games - kick out all the men but let women and children attend for free.

Under new rules approved by Turkey's soccer association, only women and children under 12 will be admitted to games involving teams sanctioned for unruly fan behavior.

On Tuesday, Fenerbahce handed out free tickets and more than 41,000 women and children attended the game against Manisaspor in Istanbul. Women formed long lines around Sukru Saracoglu stadium, some carrying babies in the team's colors, for an opportunity to watch the club.

Before the game, Fenerbahce and Manisaspor players tossed flowers at the fans. The visiting team was greeted with applause, instead of the usual jeering, the Anatolia news agency reported.

"This memory will stay with me forever," Fenerbahce captain Alex de Sousa said. "It's not always that you see so many women and children in one game."

On the other hand, the women and children began cheering and singing in unison -- even louder than the noise that usually comes from their male counterparts: “This is Kadıköy and there is no exit”; “These are the fans and this is Fener”; and “Anywhere and everywhere Fener is the greatest.”