On the penultimate day of the Turkish 1. Lig season, a scoreboard in the western city of Manisa reads 0-3. It is a familiar sight for the fans of Manisaspor, once a…
Tag: turkey
THE MOMENT IS FAMOUS NOW. On a humid June evening in 2002, seconds before the final whistle of a pulsating opening match in Group C, the Fevernova World Cup ball sailed through…
Former Celtic managerJock Stein once remarked how football is nothing without fans. In times of money-spinning commercial interests and sponsorship deals, though, supporters are often left feeling increasingly distant from their clubs.…
Owing to a knack of scoring late goals, Semih Şentürk is known in Turkey as “the lifeguard”. One particularly famous example of his match-saving efforts came in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals against…
THE STORY OF TURKISH DOMESTIC FOOTBALL is best described as passionate yet volatile – on and off the field. These traits are well known amongst fans, even if at times it has…
THE 2002 WORLD CUP is well remembered for its underdog stories, with the likes of Senegal and South Korea defeating the established order of France, Italy and Spain. Another surprise story were…
COPENHAGEN, 17 MAY 2000. In the 13th minute of extra time in the UEFA Cup final between Arsenal and Galatasaray, Thierry Henry has just shot narrowly shot wide. In attempting to stop him,…
IN YOĞURTÇU PARK IN THE KADIKÖY DISTRICT OF ISTANBUL, across the road from Fenerbahçe’s Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium, the amassed crowd begin chanting. The date is 15 September 2012 and a small ceremony…
MUNICH, 9 OCTOBER 1999: Germany are playing Turkey in a European Championship qualifier. During the first half, a routine corner is cleared by the visiting defence, and the ball is picked up…
He may not be revered as much as he deserves outside of Turkey, but Hakan Şükür’s goalscoring record stacks up against most of the 20th century’s greats
“WE’LL SEE BEAUTIFUL days kids, we’ll see sunny days.” This isn’t the kind of song you’d expect to hear chanted at a football game, let alone by one of the most respected…
Flares illuminated the clouds of smoke that rolled down the streets. Lines of policemen in riot gear threatened civilians with clubs, water cannons and rubber bullets. Anti-autocratic fervour had gripped the city,…
“They may only be Istanbul’s third club in the eyes of so many unaware of their defining history, but let’s never forget that they were Constantinople’s first club long before they were Istanbul’s third.”
Occasionally, a player comes along whose talent is paradoxically matched by their worldwide under-appreciation. A player who mesmerises opposition fans and leaves them wondering what would be possible if he played for their…
This feature is part of A World of Ultras Over the course of this series, we have delved deep into the realms of football fan culture to discover that there is a whole…
This feature is a part of A Tale of One City ISTANBUL IS A BREATHTAKING CITY. Locals call it ‘the city that is older than time itself’. The ancient town, formerly known as…