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Turkish stopper Demirel handed two-match ban

18/06/2008

Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel has been given a two-match ban following his last-minute dismissal against the Czech Republic on Sunday.

The 26-year-old was given his marching orders by referee Peter Frojdfeldt for pushing Jan Koller to the ground in injury time of his side's dramatic 3-2 victory, which ensured they progressed to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

Demirel's red card and subsequent suspension means he will miss Turkey's last-eight encounter with group B winners Croatia in Vienna on Friday night.

He will also be ruled out of the semi-finals, should Turkey make it that far – otherwise the Fenerbahce goalkeeper will be ineligible for his country's first international fixture after the tournament.

Rüstü Reçber, the 35-year-old veteran, is expected to deputise against the Croats.

A statement from Uefa regarding Demirel's suspension also confirmed that the Turkish Football Association has been fined €27,190 (£21,566) for "the improper conduct of its supporters, players and officials at the [Czech Republic] game".

A spokesman for Uefa said this was related to an incident where a small group of Turkish supporters attempted to invade the pitch, as well as the presence of unauthorised personnel in the team's dressing room after the game.