THINK of Turkish domestic football and violence, scandal and ageing players in search of a late payday all come to mind. The publicity has been very negative over the years and even José Mourinho, the coach of Fenerbahçe, said that Turkish football “smells bad” in one of his post-match press conferences, adding that “nobody watches it”. Turkey has some very big clubs – the Istanbul triumvirate of Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Besiktas enjoy very decent crowds – and the country has a population of 85 million. As an economic power and a sporting hub, Turkey still has great unrealised potential.
But there’s been all sorts of problems: referees getting attacked, clubs and football officials entangled in a ponzi scheme, a governing body compromising a sponsor, pitch invasions, big debts and verbal spats between rivals in the media. In 2022-23, Turkish football’s top division generated € 533 million in revenues and made a total loss of € 310 million. They also had debt of € 1 billion-plus. Furthermore, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has a financial deficit of some US$ 8 billion. The 2023-24 season was described as the most terrible season since 2011, the year a match-fixing scandal descended upon Turkey.
The current president of the TFF has removed the limit on foreign players implemented by the previous regime, which limited overseas players to 11 per club, a restriction that didn’t sit very comfortably with the Süper Lig and its expatriate count of 72.5%. It also has one of the oldest average ages per squad, 28.4 years. The new limits will insist upon only three foreign players above age 24 with a ruling they must have played 75% of their national team’s games in the past season. At the moment, Turkey seems to be the place that veterans go when they run out of contracts in the prominent European leagues. For example, Edin Džeko (38, Fenerbahçe), Ciro Immobile (34, Besiktas), Dušan Tadić (36, Fenerbahçe) and Fred (31, Fenerbahçe) are all plying their trade in Istanbul. Turkish football is also using the lowest percentage of club-trained players, just 3.6%. According to Capology, the salaries in the Süper Lig currently total € 483 million with an average of € 856,000 per annum. Foreign imports like Džeko and Immobile are among the highest paid players in Turkey.
The ageing teams, coupled with the problems of the past few years, are not benefitting Turkish clubs in terms of their competitiveness. There is not a single club in the League phase of the Champions League although Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe both went out in the qualifying rounds. Four times in the previous five years, a Turkish club won through to the Group Stage in the old format. Galatasaray are faring very well in the Europa League in 2024-25, while Fenerbahçe and Besiktas are further down the table.
Mourinho’s arrival at Fenerbahçe was billed by some as a sign that Turkish football was an ambitious competition that could attract top talent, but his hiring was comparable to the acquisition of big names with limited options. Mourinho doesn’t look too comfortable in Istanbul and everyone knows his time there will be brief. Fenerbahce are desperate to win the Süper Lig because they haven’t managed it since 2014. Mourinho is a trophy winner and he may only do it this season if his team can catch Galatasaray, but it does seem as though the honeymoon is coming to an end all too soon. It is, effectively, already a two-horse race with Galatasaray six points in front. Third-placed Samsunspor are 12 points behind the leaders. Besiktas, who were last champions in 2021, are currently in sixth position. Crowds this season are averaging 12,180 in the Süper Lig, with Galatasaray averaging a very healthy 44,000.
Galatasaray are unbeaten this season in the league, with 13 wins and two draws. Their coach, Okan Buruk, was appointed in June 2022 and has an impressive win rate of 74.59% with two league titles to his name with the club. He also led Istanbul Basaksehir to the Süper Lig in 2020. Not even a burst appendix has got in the way of his pursuit of a third consecutive championship, but not everyone appreciates his methods – former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech cannot wait to leave Galatasaray and has called Buruk “low end”.
Since 1996, the Turkish national team has had Mercedes-Benz as a sponsor, but the 28-year relationship has come to an end. The Turkish Football Federation now has an agreement with Togg, Turkey’s electric vehicle manufacturer – a sign of a changing world. Can Turkish football and its clubs fulfil their potential and play a part in the future of the game in Europe? If they get it right and all the ingredients are in place – and they can avoid some of the more unsavoury aspects of the game – then they may surprise a few people.
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