Galatasaray Istanbul: Every game becomes a spectacle
The scandals in Turkish football overshadow the performances of the top clubs in the European Cup. Galatasaray Istanbul impresses with its offensive approach and experienced foreign players.
Turkish football and its top clubs Galatasaray Istanbul and Fenerbahce Istanbul cannot complain about a lack of attention in Europe. The Süper Lig always causes a stir. However, this is usually in connection with violent excesses, financial escapades and power struggles. Last weekend, there were further disturbing scenes in the league: the president of Fenerbahce Istanbul, Ali Koc, was pelted with bottles on the sidelines during one of the club's away matches and then physically pushed to the ground from behind, allegedly by a fan supporter of the home team Göztepe Izmir. Koc had run out of the away block towards the main stand at the start of the second half accompanied by security staff following a dispute over the home fans' admission to the stadium. In a statement, the club described the attacker as a “football terrorist”, which was hardly de-escalating.
Such scandals, which damage the reputation and credibility of Turkish football, overshadow the recent remarkable performances of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in particular in the European Cup competitions. Over the past two years, the representatives of the Süper Lig have collected so many points in the five-year rankings of the European Football Association (Uefa) that only six leagues have been ranked higher.
In the past two years, Turkish teams have done better than the Portuguese
The Turkish clubs therefore performed better than the Portuguese clubs. And they also distanced Switzerland in the rankings - which is why the Turkish festival weeks of the Swiss clubs in the final European Cup qualifying round from Wednesday are of fundamental importance: YB and Galatasaray Istanbul will play for Champions League qualification on Wednesday evening (8pm), on Thursday evening Lugano and Besiktas Istanbul (7.30pm) will play for participation in the Europa League and St. Gallen against Trabzonspor for participation in the Conference League (8pm).
The focus is particularly on champions Galatasaray, who have won seven of the last thirteen championship titles in Turkey and have continuously invested in the quality of their own team. The club has spent almost 150 million euros since the summer of 2021, primarily on prestigious players from well-known clubs who were hardly in demand there anymore.
Galatasaray invested 150 million euros in the squad - mostly for experienced foreign players
The team of coach Okan Buruk, who is one of the club's legends for his achievements as a player and coach and was banned from the stands by Uefa for the matches against YB in last year's Europa League due to inappropriate behavior, consists mainly of foreign veterans, with the average age of the starting line-up recently exceeding 29 years.
The best-known players are striker Mauro Icardi, injured central defender Davinson Sánchez and winger Hakim Ziyech, although the latter is not a regular. Baris Yilmaz is set to play in Ziyech's right-back position. Yilmaz caused a stir at the European Championship in Germany and is considered the team's most valuable player. He is suffering from an upset stomach, but traveled with the team to Switzerland.
Galatasary caused a sensation in the pre-season - with daring attacking play
Galatasaray impressed in pre-season with their attacking play, with the team constantly looking for an open exchange of blows in matches. The club scored ten goals in the Champions League group stage - and conceded thirteen. Despite their success against Manchester United, the lack of balance cost the team their first place in the round of 16 for ten years.
The restless style of play resembles the passionate support of their own fans, who turn every home game into a spectacle, partly to intimidate the opposition. However, the fans' desire for success also has a downside: a Uefa financial report showed Galatasaray to be one of the ten worst-performing clubs in Europe in 2023, with a loss of almost 50 million euros.
Turkish clubs are dependent on European Cup income
Although Galatasaray generates high marketing income, the club - like the other Turkish teams - is suffering from the drastic slump in the lira currency and the falling income from TV rights in the Süper Lig. Last winter, Galatasaray sold right-back Sacha Boey to FC Bayern for 30 million, the club's record sale to date.
Due to the financial pressure, Turkish clubs are reliant on good European Cup results. Otherwise, headlines about the clubs' financial situation could soon be doing the rounds.