Barcelona star Arda Turan has been charged over a brawl with Turkish singer Berkay Sahin, and the prosecutors have asked for the 31-year-old to be jailed for 12.5 years over the incident.
On Monday, the prosecutors charged Turan with sexual harassment, unlicensed possession of weapons and causing intentional injury over the fight with singer Berkay Sahin, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
The 31-year-old former Atletico Madrid player is currently on loan to Istanbul's Basaksehir.
Sahin, who goes on stage by his first name Berkay, was also charged, with prosecutors demanding up to two years in jail.
Turan had last week been summoned to an Istanbul police station to give a statement about the incident but was allowed to walk free.
Advertisement
The incident, which took place outside an Istanbul nightclub and reportedly left Sahin with a broken nose, has transfixed Turkey over the last days.
In a bizarre sequence of events, Turan then reportedly went to the hospital where the singer was being treated clutching a gun and begging to be shot and forgiven.
The attacking midfielder, who won 100 caps for the national side, has for years been Turkey's best-known footballer and is a strong supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He backed Erdogan strongly after the failed July 2016 coup, appearing at rallies outside his home, and the Turkish president even came as a witness to Turan's marriage.
Advertisement
Turan is notorious for poor behaviour both on and off the field.
He was banned for a record 16 games by the Turkish football authorities in May after he shoved and verbally abused a referee in a game for Basaksehir.
Turan joined Basaksehir last season on loan from Barcelona, where he had largely endured an unhappy spell on the bench after joining from Atletico Madrid.
(AFP)
