A Football Report

Istanbul United: Rival fans of Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas protest against the Turkish government together

The demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government that has erupted in Turkey has already seen an initially peaceful protest over the proposed redevelopment of Istanbul’s Taksim Square evolve into a fully fledged movement in multiple cities involving hundreds of thousands of people.

Perhaps serving as a barometer for how the Turkish people have united is the fact that fans of Istanbul’s football clubs Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas have put their differences aside to challenge the authoritarian regime. The image above of three rival supporters with their arms around each other has been circulating on Twitter, and the message is perfectly clear.

Sky has put together a video about the recent unification of rivals, while Reuters has more about the fans who often fight one another with rather than work together:

“Go on spray, go on spray, spray your pepper gas. Take off your helmets, put down your truncheons and let’s see who’s the tough guy,” sang the fans, taunting police with a Besiktas chant which has become popular with the demonstrators.

There are tales of Galatasaray fans coming to the aid of Fenerbahce supporters trapped by the police, or of fans rushing down the hill from Taksim to the aid of rival supporters in the nearby Besiktas district on the shores of the Bosphorus.

“We are normally enemies, but this has really brought us together. It’s never happened before,” said university student Mert Gurses, 18, wearing a black-and-white Besiktas scarf and chatting with friends near the fish market in Besiktas.

There’s little evidence to suggest how the situation in Turkey will shift, but the spirit of the nation is alive and well with its citizens in this time of chaos, even transcending supposed eternal rivals in sport.

Turkey’s Women Lead a Regional Transition

“We’re focused on sports, not politics. We don’t deny that we are Kurds. But when we play, we never say, ‘We are Kurds and they are Turks.’” - Tahir Temel

Sitting in an especially tense region of Southern Turkey, Hakkari is a province trailed by hardships. From widespread unemployment to ongoing clashes between Kurdish and Turkish forces, life is precarious. More so, for women who reside in the region, one in which stories of forced marriages and honor killings are not unusual. And yet, despite these hurdles, a group of women have found empowerment through soccer. Since debuting in 2008, Hakkari Power, a team filled with local women, has sped through promotions, last season becoming the only team in the entirety of Turkey to finish their year without conceding a goal. More importantly, women have from the side have found opportunities through the club, one in which ethnicity and cultural background are insignificant, with several gaining roles in Turkey’s national youth team and more finding scholarships with local universities. 

In this article from Time Magazine, Piotr Zalewski discusses the ways in which these women are leading a change not only for female soccer players, but for their region as a whole. [Posted by Maxi]