The man who manages the Turkish third-division soccer club Corum Belediyespor might be a genius. After Turkey’s disciplinary soccer body banned Hamit Isık, from entering the stadium for nine-and-a-half months on May 7 for confronting a referee, he decided to rent himself a cherry-picker so he could watch his team’s matches over the stadium wall.

Maybe while he’s up there, he can make sure the gutters are clear, too.

But seriously, Isik managed to outsmart authorities with his creative solution for the 258-day ban, but he couldn’t quite get around the fine that accompanied his bad. Per the Telegraph, Isik had to cough up more than $13,000 after angrily arguing with the referee.

Corum’s fans, meanwhile, who disrupted the same game in which Isik fought with the referee, also had to pay. Not with money, but their eyes. The disciplinary board ordered the team to play the first leg of its playoff series in a closed stadium.

Since not everyone could fit on Isik’s cherry-picker, fans had to settle for watching the game on a big screen in front of the stadium, courtesy of team management.

All the effort may have been for naught, however. The game against Darica Genclerbirligi ended with a 0-0 draw.

 

By Marissa Payne for the Washington Post