Turkish grand slam player who rebelled against travelling to Russia flies to St Petersburg for tournament

Fenerbahçe Football Club has posted a video of its departure for Russia on its social media channels. From 1 to 15 July, the PARI Premier Cup pre-season tournament will take place in St Petersburg, where, in addition to the Turkish giants, local Zenit, Red Star of Serbia and Nafta Azerbaijan will play.

The 19-time Turkish champion also includes Bosnia and Herzegovina striker Edin Džeko.

On 27 June, Fenerbahçe's foreign players, led by Džeko, opposed the trip to the aggressor country. Commenting on his decision, the Bosnian said that he was "in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in this difficult time".

Earlier, the full Bosnia and Herzegovina national team refused to take part in a friendly match with the Russians, which was scheduled to take place on 19 November last year in St Petersburg. As a result, the BH Football Federation was forced to cancel the sparring match with representatives of the aggressor country.

As a reminder, Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç, who refused to apologise to Ukraine, pompously called himself "the only one who defends Russia".

Last season, during a Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahçe fans chanted the name of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Later, at the Europa League match with Kyiv, the Canaries' fans staged a new pro-Russian provocation - they posed with the flag of the aggressor country.

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