NEW PROBE TARGETS FOOTBALL REFEREES
A judicial investigation has spread to top-tier football referees, leading to the detention of Central Referee Committee (MHK) Chair Ferhat Gündoğdu and six other officials.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
AKP'S TRANSFER POLICY: SOME GAINS MAY BE GREAT LOSSES
In football, the transfer window closed Sept. 4. But in politics, it remains wide open as the AKP presses on with a campaign of seduction and coercion unprecedented in Turkish political history.
ELECTION FOR FENERBAHÇE’S PRESIDENCY IS LOOMING
An upcoming presidential election for the Istanbul soccer club Fenerbahçe on June 6-7, has again highlighted the ties between football and politics. The leadership of Fenerbahçe is widely seen as a position of significant influence, not just a sporting role.
AZİZ YILDIRIM ON THE ROAD BACK TO THE “FENERBAHÇE REPUBLIC”
Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş. The three clubs that come to mind when one speaks of football in Turkey. They are also known as the “Big Three.” In fact, all three are Istanbul clubs. But they have histories stretching back nearly 120 years. They are the teams with the most league titles.
DEMOTION OF A GENERAL AFTER JET FLYOVER DURING FOOTBALL MATCH
A Turkish Air Force general has been removed from command after he allegedly coordinated a low-altitude jet flyover during a football match between Konyaspor and Fenerbahçe. Yet, the pro-government Yeni Şafak reported that he was targeted by the Gulenist movement.
CRACKDOWN ON HAIR-BRAIDING CAMPAIGN
A symbolic protest emerged after images circulated on social media showing the cut hair of a woman allegedly killed in Syria, in areas formerly under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The images sparked a wave of solidarity in Turkey, where activists, health workers, and even a football club adopted hair-braiding as a form of protest—prompting legal and political repercussions.
FROM NEWSROOMS TO FOOTBALL CLUBS, TURKEY’S DRUG PROBE WIDENS
The drug-using operation that started with artists in October, then extended to sports, media, business and politics, continues with the unlawful sharing of private conversations and denials of drug use despite forensic reports. The names of some prosecutors, politicians and advisers appeared in the investigation early on, yet media coverage has so far remained silent about them.
BETTING SCANDAL IN FOOTBALL INVOLVES PLAYERS
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has provisionally referred 1,024 footballers to the Professional Football Disciplinary Committee on grounds of betting and has published a list of their names.
HAKEM /REFEREE
In Turkish, the word hakem conjures, for the average football fan, the image of a man with a whistle — revered when he blows it in your favor, reviled when he doesn’t. Yet the word has a far deeper pedigree. Hakem comes from the Arabic ḥakam, meaning “one who judges,” sharing roots with hakim (judge or ruler) and hikmet (wisdom). The referee is, linguistically at least, meant to be a wise arbiter among impassioned players and fans — no small task given the layers of expectation and resentment attached to every call.
BETTING SCANDAL ROCKS TURKISH FOOTBALL
President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees officiating in professional matches had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets.
THE BLESSED BAKLAVA OF ALİ KOÇ
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.
NORMAL DOĞUM
In Turkish, “normal doğum” refers to vaginal birth. But the term itself is anything but neutral. By naming one method “normal,” it quietly casts others — cesareans in particular — as “abnormal”. For women who undergo C-sections, whether for medical reasons or out of their own choice, the implication is clear: you failed to deliver the “natural” way. In fact, a Health Ministry ran a public ad two years ago that did just that: in a clumsily-shot clip, a baby just delivered by vaginal birth tells the mother that they “succeeded.” The contested term has once again taken center stage — not in a hospital, but on a football pitch.