Galatasaray terminates the contract of the Moroccan in India for a "non-technical" reason

Galatasaray, the second Turkish football league, annulled the contract of Moroccan international midfielder Yunus Belhanda, a few days after his public criticism of Istanbul club officials.

Galatasaray said in a statement that the midfielder's contract was "unilaterally terminated", accusing the player of "harming the club's reputation" and making "insulting statements" to his officials.

Belhanda had expressed, in a statement to a local channel, his dissatisfaction with the state of the lawn in the Galatasaray stadium, after the 2-2 draw with Sivaspur on Sunday in the domestic league.

"The officials must find a solution. Even the grounds of our training camp are in better condition. Instead of obsessing over Twitter and Instagram, or paying attention to the media, take care of the stadium," he said, according to a Turkish translation of his comments.

These statements sparked great dissatisfaction with the Galatasaray management and a fierce debate on social media among supporters of the club.

It is not the first time Belhinda, 31, found himself in the midst of a storm on the banks of the Bosphorus, where some fans blamed him for a lack of consistency in level and commitment.

In 2019, he was booed by the Turkish public after being substituted during a Champions League group stage match against Real Madrid.

Upon returning to Istanbul, the crowd was cursed.

Belhinda, born in Avignon (southern France), joined Galatasaray in 2017 after a good season with French club Nice, where he played on loan with him from Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine.

Belhinda began his professional career with Montpellier in 2009, and was one of the main pillars in his crowning of the French League title in 2012.

Belhinda scored five goals in 50 international matches.

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