Nigerian international and Galatasaray defender Tosin Demehin has become the focal point of a major dispute in Turkish women’s football.
Trabzonspor are demanding a forfeit victory against Galatasaray over an alleged yellow card mix-up involving the Super Falcons star, as reported by Ajansspor.
The controversy arose after Trabzonspor appealed to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to overturn their 1-1 draw with Galatasaray in the 16th round of the Women’s Super League. The club argued that Demehin had been ineligible to play.
The Nigerian defender, who featured at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, was shown a yellow card during Galatasaray’s dominant 8-1 win over Ünyegücü in the previous round. This booking, issued in first-half stoppage time, meant she had accumulated enough cautions to trigger a one-match suspension—ruling her out of the Trabzonspor clash.
Demehin playing for the Super Falcons at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
However, ahead of the match, Galatasaray challenged the ruling, claiming the yellow card had been mistakenly attributed to Demehin instead of her teammate, Kadiata Diallo. The club lodged an appeal with the Disciplinary Board, which subsequently updated the official TFF records to transfer the booking from Demehin to Diallo, thereby clearing the Nigerian defender to play against Trabzonspor.
Before moving to Europe, the 22-year-old honed her skills in Nigeria, featuring for Sunshine Stars and Rivers Angels.
However, her debut season in Turkey has now been overshadowed by this eligibility controversy. The TFF’s upcoming decision could significantly impact her early days at Galatasaray and set a precedent for handling disciplinary matters in Turkish women’s football.