Besiktas Refuse to Take Field vs. Fenerbahce, Istanbul Derby Cancelled

Thursday's Turkish Cup semi-final between Besiktas and Fenerbahce rescheduled to take place on Thursday evening was cancelled after the former refused to appear in protest of the fixture.

The Istanbul derby was due to be resumed behind closed doors, but Reuters (h/t The Star) reported it was cancelled by the official.

Per Satuk Bugra Kutlugun of AA.com, Besiktas released a statement on their decision:

"We have always been on the pitch for 115 years, winning, losing or drawing on the pitch. For not accepting to lose with decisions, we will not be on the pitch on May 3, Thursday."

The match was set to kick off in the 57th minute, the point at which the original fixture on April 19th was called off due to fan violence. Besiktas manager Senol Gunes was sent to the hospital after an object thrown from the stands hit him in the head.

Emre Sarigul of Turkish-Football.com posted video from Fenerbahce's Ulker Stadium, where the semi-final was set to take place in front of empty stands:

The two teams drew 2-2 in the first leg played back at the beginning of March, where Anderson Talisca arose late to keep the Black Eagles level after 90 minutes. 

That clash was also an intense meeting between the Istanbul rivals, as Alper Potuk and Volkan Demirel both saw red for Fener, while Ricardo Quaresma was sent off for Besiktas.

Centre-back Pepe was sent off for the defending Super Lig champions in the second leg prior to the fan violence that prompted the match to be abandoned.

Besiktas' decision to boycott the match means the Turkish Football Federation will make a call on how to proceed. Per Kutlugun's report, the decision is likely to arrive "in the coming days." Though, Reuters reported Fenerbahce will be awarded the victory and move on to play in the final against Akhisarspor.