- According to the information on FIFA’s website, Mondihome Kayserispor from the Süper Lig has been given an indefinite transfer ban, while Yukatel Adana Demirspor, Bitexen Antalyaspor, MKE Ankaragücü, and TÜMOSAN Konyaspor each received a 3-transfer window ban. Eyüpspor, a team from the First League, also received a 3-transfer window ban from FIFA.
The transfer ban imposed by FIFA on Süper Lig clubs is emblematic of the financial and managerial challenges plaguing Turkish football. It is evident that this ban stems from the financial instability of clubs and the ineffectual management by club executives. This article will examine the implications of FIFA’s decision on Turkish football and discuss the strategies that need to be developed to overcome this adversity.
Turkish football has been shaken by FIFA's imposition of a transfer ban on Super League clubs. It has been announced that Mondihome Kayserispor has been given an indefinite ban, while Yukatel Adana Demirspor, Bitexen Antalyaspor, MKE Ankaragücü, and TÜMOSAN Konyaspor have each been subjected to a three-transfer window ban.
It is evident that behind this decision lie issues such as the financial instability of the clubs and the ineffective management of club executives. Super League clubs must take urgent steps to strengthen their financial structures and resolve management problems. It is essential for clubs to establish a more sustainable financial framework, control their expenditures, and pay off player debts in a timely manner. Additionally, transparency and accountability must be ensured in club management.
The transfer ban imposed by FIFA serves as a warning for Turkish football. Turkey ranks among the countries that have submitted the most files to FIFA. This highlights the seriousness of the financial and managerial problems facing Turkish football. Clubs need to build a stronger financial and managerial infrastructure. Only in this way can Turkish football compete on the international stage and grow sustainably.
The absence of any Istanbul-based teams among the punished clubs is striking. Due to the significantly greater resources and recognition of Istanbul-based teams compared to Anatolian clubs subjected to these penalties, even district teams with relatively few supporters in Istanbul (such as Pendikspor, which recently joined the Super League) do not receive such penalties. Even a cursory glance at the "expenditure limits" table reveals the dominance of Istanbul in the Super League. If the attention and investments of the state and businessmen continue to be focused solely on the Istanbul region, there is a risk that the Super League could be renamed the "Istanbul League," which could hinder the development of other clubs across Turkey.
- Note: I believe this issue is related to an article I wrote just last week titled 'Sports Sciences in Turkey.' Turkey, especially in the field of sports education, lags far behind Europe. Today, the reason why Turkish sports clubs are managed by holding companies rather than by executives knowledgeable about football and science is due to ignorance rather than knowledge.
“https://medium.com/@tugracoskun4/why-is-t%C3%BCrkiye-about-to-miss-the-train-for-sports-sciences-dbb981d1e7ca”
What about Infrastructure? There’s no need to mention...
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, a few days after losing the Euro 2020 final, announced that they would spend £50 million to build quality football fields that everyone living in the UK could reach within a 15-minute walk from their homes. Since 2010, the UK government, having invested £500 million, is accompanied by the world's richest clubs in elevating their facilities to the highest level. The birthplace of football continues its efforts to make this game accessible to people of all ages and genders.
While a strong infrastructure development is evident in the major leagues of Europe, with projects such as the compact football facilities initiative in every region led by the French Football Federation in collaboration with the state, France, the most successful country in cultivation, continues to enhance the efficiency of its cosmopolitan structure. Spain, starting to strengthen its club-level infrastructure with increasing broadcasting revenues, although not having as strong an amateur facility structure as other leading countries, compensates for this gap with its advanced futsal organization. Italy, on the other hand, continues to spread the game at grassroots level with its state-supported amateur football organization.
In Turkey, where unplanned urbanization has destroyed playgrounds in populous cities, children find themselves squeezed between tall concrete buildings, as amateur football clubs close one after another and playgrounds disappear, giving way to apartment parking lots. While football is on the brink of extinction at the amateur level, at the professional level, clubs, driven by the powerful populism narrative of competition, increasingly sink into debt while resorting to spending more and more on transfers as a solution. Unfortunately, football in Turkey is no longer just a game for children…
