Court releases Turkish football hooligan

A Turkish court in the northeastern province of Trabzon on Monday released a teenage hooligan who attacked a referee at a major match the night before.

In the 89th minute of a Super Lig match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce, the fan, identified as O.M., age 17, invaded the pitch and battered additional assistant referee Volkan Bayarslan.

After being taken into custody and sent to the court Monday for remand, he was quickly released. The court released no details justifying the release, but an Anadolu Agency correspondent in Trabzon reported that he testified he was sorry for his behavior.

Visitors Fenerbahce were leading the game by 4-0 in Trabzonspor's home ground, Huseyin Avni Aker Stadium, when the incident happened.

O.M. had faced charges of deliberately injuring a public official and violating a law targeting violence in sports.

The teams' rivalry is one of the fiercest in Turkey. In 2011 Fenerbahce beat Trabzonspor to the title only through superior head-to-head performances, amid allegations of match-fixing.

After Fenerbahce's 5-1 victory against Black Sea side Caykur Rizespor in April 2015, the Istanbul team's bus was shot on the Rize-Trabzon highway, critically injuring the driver.