RIP Gaziantepspor

[Antepli Ejderha]

On Friday the current chairman announced that the club would not be able to fulfil their remaining fixtures for the season, this was one game after the league resumed from the winter break. On Sunday, as is protocol, the referee and opponents turned up at the ground to find no opposition. There's hope that they will be able to start next season in the amateur regional leagues.

The club say there are three factors involved, 33 points have so far been docked for a variety of reasons, the club is under a transfer embargo and finally the debt of over 150 million Turkish Lira is unpayable. They also blame shady and dodgy dealings of the previous chairman and board.

This is my team and to see it go to the wall like this is deeply hurtful. For over 20 years, and nearly 15 of them in Turkey, I'd follow them. Going to other cities, being one of a dozen fans on a cold winter night, staging my own protest involving an old bed sheet and a can of spray paint but now it's all gone. I've still got my memories but it did not have to end like this.

[ursus arctos]

How awful.

May the Falcons fly again.

[Ray de Galles]

Commiserations AE, horrible for you and all their support.

[Sits]

Yes really sorry to hear that Antep. A non-league "phoenix" team would be better than nothing I suppose and worth getting behind, but scant consolation.

[Kevin S]

Google translation of the press release:

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

As it is known, due to the heavy debt burden left by the past administrations, our club has received a large number of minus points due to the payments that are not made by FIFA to the foreign football players and their teams and finally a penalty for the lower division.

Gaziantepspor with 50 years of history and in the field both in the field of Gaziantep in the field, and in the field without any controversial events have represented in an honorable way. However, at this point, our team's appearances in this situation create a situation where heavy defeats and Gaziantepspor name will be taken under the feet. Our club TFF 2nd League White group has decided not to take the remaining matches and withdraw from the league.

We want all sports fans and fans to know; The decision to withdraw from the League is definitely not a decision to close our club. On the contrary, it is aimed to bring our Gaziantepspor to the places it deserves in the shortest time by going to structuring with a new project which includes zero debt and corporate policy starting from the new season.

It is announced with respect to the public.

Sorry to hear this, AE. Who owns the stadium, do you know? It looks like it's shared with another club or am I misreading it?

[nmrfox]

Sorry to hear of this AE. Can only guess at how gutted you must be at the news.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Google translation of the press release:

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

As it is known, due to the heavy debt burden left by the past administrations, our club has received a large number of minus points due to the payments that are not made by FIFA to the foreign football players and their teams and finally a penalty for the lower division.

Gaziantepspor with 50 years of history and in the field both in the field of Gaziantep in the field, and in the field without any controversial events have represented in an honorable way. However, at this point, our team's appearances in this situation create a situation where heavy defeats and Gaziantepspor name will be taken under the feet. Our club TFF 2nd League White group has decided not to take the remaining matches and withdraw from the league.

We want all sports fans and fans to know; The decision to withdraw from the League is definitely not a decision to close our club. On the contrary, it is aimed to bring our Gaziantepspor to the places it deserves in the shortest time by going to structuring with a new project which includes zero debt and corporate policy starting from the new season.

It is announced with respect to the public.

Sorry to hear this, AE. Who owns the stadium, do you know? It looks like it's shared with another club or am I misreading it?

That's a pretty decent translation.

Like most stadiums in Turkey it's owned by the municipality.

Like most municipalities with brand new stadiums they are run by the AKP.

The original ground is in the city centre, it was run down but was prime land. This new arena is miles out of the city and was shared between Gaziantepspor and the renamed municipal team. They have no fans and no real history. Originally they were the works team of Sanko which is a large holding company in Gaziantep. They pulled their funding and the club nearly went to the wall about ten years ago.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

How amenable are the TFF likely to be to put a pheonix Gazientep side straight back in a higher level than the very bottom? Other sides at that level wanting to keep matches against a "big" team, sides lower down not really able to facilitate large away fanbase, that kind of thing?

[Antepli Ejderha]

There are only a handful of sides with a fanbase that could be classed as big enough to warrant this plus the political factor is there so it won't happen.

Göztepe of Izmir found themselves in the amateur leagues through relegation quite recently so it's possible to come back quite quickly if things are in place.

The structure of the pyramid is quite strange, the Süper Lig is the top flight, then there's Birinci Lig or division 1.
After that there are two national groups, Beyaz and Kırımızı, red and white, that used to be split regionally so that's tier three.
Then it's tier four which is again national but this time is three groups and after that it's the ten regional amateur groups in tier five.

Turkey is a huge country so having in effect seven national leagues is nuts as travel by bus is over 24 hours for say Istanbul to Van unless you've got money to fly. I sense that all of these costs plus losing almost every match has helped with the decision as they could effectively end up in the fifth tier and start afresh.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Apologies for not saying this earlier but thanks for all the messages of support and understanding. Before I had a daughter this would have made me really emotional but now there's perspective.

Let's see what the next few months bring.

I really hope the old chairman, board and the main supporters club get their comeuppance for their roles in completing destroying one of the most successful and important football clubs in Turkey outside of the big four.

[Bored Of Education]

Terrible news, AE and my sympathies. Do I take it that, if the stadium is municipality-owned, any phoenix club are assured of playing there?

Can I ask what the supporters' club part was in this happening? As supporters clubs/societies/trusts are fairly important in getting phoenix clubs going, it would be a shame if Gaziantepspor didn't have a trustworthy and strong one.

[Antepli Ejderha]

So despite some efforts no phoenix club ever rose from the ashes and over the weekend the current Süper Lig club, Gaziantep FK, announced they were planning another name change and taking the name Gaziantepspor.

After stealing the club colours of red and black they've now stolen the name. This is their fourth name, first they were Sankospor, named after the largest holding company in the city, then Gaziantep Belediye Spor, when the municipality took them over, then they rebranded as Gaziantep FK after they were promoted. And now this.

Sadly the majority of the city seems behind the rebrand, and I sort of get why, but I'm struggling to get on board.

This is also really quite common in Turkey, as is the demise of relatively big and historic clubs.

[Sits]

Sorry to hear this AE, it's been a long and sad story. So where might you bestow your allegiance, will you swallow the bile and go with the new crowd, or look further afield?

[ad hoc]

Yes sorry to hear this AE

[Sean of the Shed]

Is it possible that because it is more common in Turkey that the supporters are happier to get on board and it seems like a more natural progression to them than it does to a British observer?

[Tony C]

Commiserations AE. Having seen my beloved Droylsden FC go under during lockdown I’m acutely aware of how you must be feeling. We have our memories.

[Johnny Velvet]

Joining in with the commiserations, AE.

[nmrfox]

Sorry to read this AE.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Is it possible that because it is more common in Turkey that the supporters are happier to get on board and it seems like a more natural progression to them than it does to a British observer?

Partly that and partly the fact that's there's only one professional club in the city and people are trying to get behind it.

In reality there are only four teams in Turkey, the rest mean nothing and nobody really cares. They've all got huge debts and are being bankrolled by the state to a greater or lesser extent.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Sorry to hear this AE, it's been a long and sad story. So where might you bestow your allegiance, will you swallow the bile and go with the new crowd, or look further afield?

If I ever go back I'll probably follow them, Bursaspor but most probably Ankaragücü

[ad hoc]

If I ever go back I'll probably follow them, Bursaspor but most probably Ankaragücü

At the moment it's looking like Bursaspor will be going the same way as Gazientepspor. Fallen down into the third level and have started poorly down there too. That new stadium can't be cheap in upkeep costs and I imagine they're getting low crowds down there

[Antepli Ejderha]

The new stadium curse does seem to be a thing. So many arena style stadiums have been built across Turkey as part of bids to host major tournaments and many of those be builds have seen the team in serious financial trouble as a result.

Gaziantepspor went busy, Eskişehirspor are on the brink, Bursaspor are in real trouble. All are big names in Turkish football.

Other clubs like Mersin, Malatya, Karabük plus others are in trouble or have gone to non league.

I've been away from Turkey for ten years now and it's still depressing to see this continuing.

[Satchmo Distel]

Will the club that's stolen the name also steal the history - honours, etc?

[Janik]

Given the attitude seems to be entirely different to what constituents a club's identity (and this different mindset is not just Turkey-specific), probably yes. They will won't see a difference between the new Gazientepsor and the old one.

[Discordant Resonance]

At the moment it's looking like Bursaspor will be going the same way as Gazientepspor. Fallen down into the third level and have started poorly down there too. That new stadium can't be cheap in upkeep costs and I imagine they're getting low crowds down there

Never realised it's been 12 seasons since they were in the group stages of the Champions League.