REFILE-Soccer-St Pauli release Sahin over Turkey-Syria Instagram post

Turkish midfielder Cenk Sahin has been released by German team St Pauli following his Instagram post supporting his country's military incursion in northern Syria.

Turkey sent troops into Kurdish-held regions of Syria and Sahin's support for the operation caused uproar among some of second division club's supporters. "Cenk Sahin has been released from his training and playing duties with immediate effect," St Pauli said in a statement.

"The prime factors in reaching the decisions were his repeated disregard for the club's values and the need to protect the player." Sahin published the now deleted post on Friday. Many St Pauli fans called for the player to be sacked while the club conducted an investigation into the episode.

The second tier side say Sahin's contract remains in place but he has been granted permission to train and play for other clubs. The 25-year-old joined St Pauli from Istanbul Basaksehir in 2016.

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