Former Man United star Eric Bailly was involved in a heated clash with his own TEAM-MATE during the Besiktas defeat, before the defender claims ‘competitive tension’ caused a rift on the pitch
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Ex-Man United defender Eric Bailly became involved in a heated confrontation with his Besiktas teammate before being substituted by their manager at half-time.
The incident took place midway through Besiktas’ league match with Antalyaspor, where the visitors suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat.
Bailly could not prevent his side from suffering defeat after he was removed at half-time following the unsavory scenes on the pitch.
Before half-time, Bailly was seen marching towards teammate Tayfur Bingöl before reaching out and pulling the midfielder by the shoulder.
Bingöl was spun around and met by the Ivory Coast international, who was clearly furious over an incident earlier in the match.
Former Man United defender Eric Bailly confronted Besiktas teammate Tayfur Bingöl just before half-time during their match against Antalyaspor
Bailly later took to Instagram to apologize to his manager, teammates and the Besiktas fans
Gedson Fernandes, who was on loan at Tottenham for a season, intervened to defuse the situation but it clearly boiled over heading into half-time.
During the break, Bailly was replaced by full-back Valentin Rosier and in the twelve minutes that followed, Besiktas leaked three goals.
The centre-back later took his Instagram story to explain his actions to fans, claiming “competitive tension” caused the on-field failure.
“Competitive tension pushes us toward greater success, and that’s all we want,” Bailly wrote.
‘We all want to win and want the best. I apologize to the manager, my teammates and the Besiktas family for my mistake. Keep your head up and focus on the next one.”
Interim manager Burak Yilmaz later confirmed that Bailly’s substitution was due to his ‘inappropriate’ actions.
Yilmaz said: ‘There was a problem with Eric Bailly at half-time. That’s why I took it off.
‘There is no injury situation. I took him out of the match because of an inappropriate move.”
Besiktas lost the match after Antalyaspor scored three goals in twelve minutes after the break
Bailly signed a one-year deal with the Turkish giants after leaving Man United in the summer
In summer, tThe Ivorian defender left Old Trafford after seven years, having originally joined the club for £30 million La Liga side Villarreal.
Bailly made 113 appearances for United in all competitions, scoring his only goal in a match against Swansea in 2017.
In a post on social media, Bailly wrote: ‘As I leave this club after many years of incredible memories, outstanding teammates and trophies, I would like to express my deep gratitude.
“This chapter may be coming to an end, but the friendships and memories will remain in my heart forever. The fans here are the real champions. Thank you for everything, united forever.”
