- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Controversial Western Sydney striker Kerem Bulut was stood down from Wednesday’s A-League match after being charged with intimidation by police, coach Tony Popovic has confirmed.
Bulut was charged with intimidation following an incident at a McDonald’s in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The reports emerged straight after the Wanderers posted just their second victory of the season with a 3-2 win over Melbourne City at Parramatta Stadium on Wednesday.
Bulut was said to be at McDonald’s with a group of friends on Tuesday night when staff allegedly asked them all to leave, angering the group, who allegedly told the store manager that they should take the argument outside to the car park.
Police were notified of the the incident with Bulut presenting himself to Auburn police station at 4pm on Wednesday – only hours before his side were due to face City.
After Wednesday’s match Popovic confirmed he had been made aware of the incident earlier in the day and made the decision to exclude the controversial striker from the game.
The coach said he would wait until he had all the information before deciding if Bulut would be available to face Melbourne Victory on Friday.
“I was made aware this afternoon there was an incident and he was stood down from the game due to that incident,” Popovic said.
“Now it’s with the club and the authorities and the FFA, it’s in their hands.
“That’s all I can tell you.”
In a statement released late on Wednesday, the Wanderers said they would work with the police and FFA to resolve the matter.
This is not the first time Bulut has caused headlines for the wrong reasons, with the the 23-year-old being charged with gang-related crimes in 2010.
He spent over four years playing in Europe before returning to Australia to join the Wanderers in January.
Bulut scored a double on debut in the heated 4-3 derby loss to Sydney FC last month.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.