Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan says his Twitter account was hacked, after Blaugrana fans reacted angrily when it seemed he had "liked" photos praising Real Madrid.
It was first noticed on Thursday that a tweet recently posted by a Madrid fan, showing the sleeve of a Blancos jersey with an image celebrating the club's 11 European Cup wins had been 'liked' by Arda's personal account.
This led to indignation and derision among a section of Barca supporters, with their ire directed against the Turkey international, who has failed to impress following a €42 million move to the Camp Nou from Atletico Madrid in 2015. Some Madrid fans also joined in and enjoyed claiming that Arda had now shown he was really a Blancos follower at heart.
The online storm was picked up by both the Madrid and Catalan sports press, causing enough embarrassment for Arda to tweet on Friday morning that his "account was hacked for a brief period" but the problem had been resolved.
Two days ago my account was hacked for a brief period. During that period 1 RT was made and 2 photos were "liked" without my knowledge.
- Arda Turan (@ArdaTuran) August 12, 2016
I would like my statement regarding this issue to be taken into consideration. Best.
- Arda Turan (@ArdaTuran) August 12, 2016
"Two days ago my account was hacked for a brief period," Turan said. "During that period 1 RT was made and 2 photos were 'liked' without my knowledge. I would like my statement regarding this issue to be taken into consideration. Best."
No further details of the hacking have emerged.