Turkish police implemented stringent security measures for the Europa League match between Galatasaray and PAOK in Istanbul.
More than 2,000 PAOK fans travelled by bus from Thessaloniki and other Macedonian cities to attend the match. However, during a three-hour border check, Turkish authorities confiscated all Greek and Vergina flags carried by the fans.
Galatasaray fans had been waiting for their PAOK counterparts at the stadium, where the Europa League match would be hosted. Outside the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, a banner read “Since 1453,” a reminder to PAOK fans of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans on May 29, 1453.
A PAOK fan, according to the Turks, provoked and was removed from the stadium by the security men.