German international forward of Spanish origin, Mario Gomez, top scorer in the Turkish championship last season, confirmed that he will leave Besiktas of Istanbul a season after his arrival, due to the political situation and the failed coup.

"The reason is solely the political situation. No sporting or other reasons have led me to make this decision. It is solely due to the terrible events of the past few days," wrote the 31-year-old striker, who arrived at Besiktas in 2015, with whom he won the Turkish championship.

"I hope that these political problems can be resolved peacefully soon. That would be an even greater wish than playing again with Besiktas," said the German forward.

After a successful spell at Bayern Munich, Mario Gomez had two difficult seasons at Fiorentina (2013-2015). The Italian club loaned him to Besiktas, where he returned to his best form and earned a spot on the roster for the 2016 European Championship with the World Cup-winning national team.

In the night of July 15 to 16, the attempted military coup left more than 300 dead, a hundred of whom were coup plotters. Around 55,000 people, especially police officers, teachers, or military personnel, were suspended or dismissed. More than 9,000 were arrested.

AFP