Galatasaray's first game of their 2021/22 Super Lig campaign versus Giresunspor on Monday evening descended into chaos during the latter stages. Midway through the second half, the Turkish side's defender Marcao Teixeira was shown a straight red card for fighting his own teammate.
After appearing to be shushed by Akturkoglu, things got bizarre when Marcao head-butted his teammate and then proceeded to throw punches at him, before being pulled away by other players on the pitch.
The 25-year-old is one of Galatasaray's most important players, but he might not have a future at the Turkish club after his bizzare and uncalled for antics. Perhaps the only silver lining for Marcao was the fact that his red card didn't have any impact on the result, with Galatasaray beating Giresunspor 2-0 thanks to first half goals from Mbaye Diagne and Alexandru Cicaldau.
Marcao will now certainly be suspended for a considerable number of games by those in charge of the Turkish top-flight league. The Brazilian defender might also be fined by Galatasaray for his disgraceful on-pitch meltdown. Managed by Head Coach, Fatih Terim, Galatasaray finished second in the table last season, having won it most recently back in 2018/19 - the season in which Marcao joined from GD Chaves.
Having made 102 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once, his manager was left disappointed by the unexpected outburst. "I don't understand the reason that pushed Marcao to do this. What did he do that made him so angry...Unfortunately, these things happen in football. They will continue to happen." Said Terim. He also added that the cub would do what was necessary and that Marcao would have to apologize.