Ali Koç is the president of Fenerbahçe, one of Turkey’s “big three” football clubs, alongside Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. Recently, he was seen eating baklava ahead of Fenerbahçe’s EuroLeague basketball final match in Abu Dhabi. Former minister and current ruling party MP Mustafa Varank was feeding him the baklava, which had been brought from Turkey. Varank said the baklava had been “prayed over,” to which Koç responded with an “amen.” In Turkey, when something is said to be “prayed over,” it means it has been blessed.
CHILDREN WHO STOLE BAKLAVA
Is this a story about Ali Koç or a tale about baklava? It’s hard to tell. Yes, baklava is arguably the most iconic dessert in Turkey. But in recent history, the word baklava has also come to evoke bitter memories.
In the 1990s, four children were sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing baklava. Whether the baklava they stole had been “blessed” is unknown—but the incident has never been forgotten. There’s also an unforgettable baklava theft scene in Turkish cinema. In Yılmaz Güney’s 1974 film Zavallılar (The Poor), four well-off inmates devour a tray of baklava sent from outside. Another inmate—poor and with no one on the outside—joins them and says “enjoy” several times, hoping for a share. When they don’t offer any, he grabs the tray and runs. After a chase involving all prison guards, the “baklava thief” is caught. He’s still trying to eat as hands grasp his neck. In short, the baklava is stuck in his throat—both literally and symbolically.
ONE OF TURKEY’S WEALTHIEST FAMILIES
Ali Koç is not only the president of Fenerbahçe but also a member of the Koç family—one of the wealthiest families of the Republican era. He has served as Fenerbahçe’s president since 2018. And during these seven years, the club has not won a single football championship. Meanwhile, their biggest rival, Galatasaray, has won the title three times—including this year. This, despite Ali Koç appointing world-renowned Portuguese coach José Mourinho to lead the team.
TURKISH CAPITAL’S TEST WITH POLITICS
Ali Koç represents the third generation of his family. His father, Rahmi Koç, remains alive and active. The family has never formally entered politics—except for a brief period when Ali Koç’s grandfather and family founder, Vehbi Koç, was a CHP member during the single-party era. After the shift to multi-party democracy and the 1950 election that changed the ruling party, Vehbi Koç resigned from the CHP. Since then, the family has avoided formal political involvement. In fact, even Ali Koç taking on a role at Fenerbahçe was seen as a “surprise” by those who know the family well.
Perhaps the only person from a wealthy family in Turkey to formally enter politics is Cem Boyner, now the owner of Boyner Holding. In the mid-1990s, he founded a party called the New Democracy Movement (YDH), expressing radical views on civil rights and freedom of expression—particularly regarding the Kurdish issue. He even ran in an election but failed to gain enough votes. He then withdrew from politics.
Hüsamettin Cindoruk, a veteran of Turkey’s center-right, criticized the business world when debates on authoritarianism and freedom of expression began to surface. “It is the business world that needs freedom of speech and criticism the most,” he warned. “They should be the loudest voice. Otherwise, the money won’t come.”
More recently, even when executives from TÜSİAD—the business organization in which the Koç family plays a leading role—were investigated and subjected to travel bans over their statements on freedom of expression, the Koç family remained silent. The same was true when elected politicians were imprisoned following the collapse of the Kurdish peace process.
Perhaps football fills the void left by political distance—we don’t know. But these days, even in football, Ali Koç doesn’t seem at ease. He is surrounded by Unhappy Fenerbahçe Fans. Baklava might be sweet, but how will he win over the bitter crowd of disappointed supporters?
