A 21-year-old Turkish footballer had his contract terminated by his football club following controversy about his alleged Bumble dating profile.

Emirhan Delibas, who played for famed Turkish club Besiktas, has since hit back over social media calling the profile "fake" and emphasising his loyalty to the team.

Termination

Delibas's departure was confirmed by Besiktas in a Feb. 19 post on their X page (formerly known as Twitter).

Kulübümüzden Bilgilendirme

Profesyonel futbolcu Emirhan Delibaş’la karşılıklı anlaşarak yollarımızı ayırmış bulunmaktayız.

Emirhan Delibaş’a bundan sonraki kariyerinde başarılar diler, kamuoyunun bilgisine sunarız.

Saygılarımızla.

Beşiktaş JK pic.twitter.com/LQ8IfloMXr

— Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) February 19, 2024

The statement read, “We have parted ways with professional soccer player Emirhan Delibas by mutual agreement. We wish him success in his future career.”

While the club did not specify an official reason for parting ways with Delibas, it has been widely speculated that this was because of his alleged presence on the dating app Bumble.

Player is 21, dating profile showed age as 24

Turkish media outlets Aydinlik and Hurriyet reported that a Bumble profile supposedly belonging to the player recently went viral on social media, causing a stir among fans.

The profile picture was of Delibas wearing Besiktas' training kit and holding a drink, and it wrongly indicated his age as 24.

The profile's description also indicated he was a Besiktas player and expressed an interest in "something casual".

Player slams profile as 'fake', says he's loyal to team

After the Bumble photos were leaked, Delibas called out the profile as "fake" in a Feb. 19 statement on his Instagram.

"I reject the slanders made by fake accounts and would like to state that my loyalty to my team cannot be questioned," he posted.

"Besiktas is a responsibility for me. Your love has been my greatest motivation."

In another statement to football website Transfermarkt, Delibas explained that he had mutually terminated his contract with Besiktas so as "not to cause more damage to the club".

He said he initially planned to part ways with the club during the winter break but was concerned that "he was causing harm to the Besiktas community and the club" due to the criticism of his private life.

Delibas added that he "does not forgive those who created this perception".

"I don't want to talk about this subject any more. From now on, I want to make those who support and love me proud by giving my answer on the field," he said.

Delibas grew up in Besiktas' academy and has represented the club at a junior level since 2013.

He made his first senior debut for the club in January 2024.

Top image from emirhandelibass / Instagram & Fabrizio Romano / X.