Cizrespor, a football team from the southeastern Kurdish city of Şırnak, has announced that it will withdraw from the 3rd division league due to discriminatory behavior on the part of referees during matches and the Turkish Football Federation’s discriminative approach to the team.

The official statement, tweeted on Sunday, has cited the “racist approach” of the referees during games.

In February 2019, Cizrespor footballers and managers were physically assaulted by an angry nationalist mob in Antalya.

Team Chairman Maruf Sefinç said the referees always favor the rival teams, even breaking the rules.

Diyarbakır’s Amedspor and its players have experienced similar discriminatory behavior in recent years.