by Max Barry

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Region: Greater Middle East


‎August 1st 2020

Meral Akşener: 'Rahat ve huzur içinde yat, bir kardeş vatan topraklarında şehit oldun.'

Istanbul

Can Bartu (FB) and Metin Oktay (GS) before 1969 edition of Intercontinental Derby / TRT Sport

The history of the Intercontinental Derby

FOOTBALL– In just 24 hours the two pillars of Turkish football will do battle as Fenerbahçe S.K. prepare to host reigning UEFA Champions Galatasaray S.K. at Kadıköy. The feud between these two teams predates most countries on the planet, include the Turkish Republic, with 111 years of rivalry between the clubs. Both teams divided by the Bosphorus, both symbolizing the very different nature of both continents. The identity of the two clubs is drenched in a century of tradition, both built on centuries of customs and culture before it. This year this rivalry will be the opener to the Süper Lig, come as we take a look at not the rivalry but what each club means to its supporters, and its history.

Fenerbahçe despite officially being founded in 1907, the team was originally founded as 'Black Stockings FC' but it was shutdown by the monarchy due to the government not wanting Turks playing the 'Englishman sport'. The team was reformed as the Kadıköy S.K. the next year, before also being shut down. But in 1907, with the monarchy's grip on power weakening, the team was reform as a vehicle for Turks living in Kadıköy to play to game that the English had been playing for so long. The team would enter the Istanbul League in 1909, going onto win the most championships in the leagues history with 16. The club since its founding has represented the middle class society of Istanbul. Especially as the the clubs struggles against the Ottoman government closely mirroring that of the Turkish middle class in Istanbul at the time, later being a voice for the middle class of the Asian side of Istanbul to show itself against its much richer European side. Today Fenerbahçe have the second most League wins after Galatasaray with 16 total victories in the Süper Lig. Despite having a few troubling years during the Ali Koç
management, which almost saw the team relegated for the first time in its history, the Fenerbahçe was most recently sold to the Sloan Group, and is now looking to make a comeback. And many in Fenerbahçe have argued that their is no better way to do that then by repeating what happened in 2002 when they defeated Galatasaray 6-0.

On the other side of Istanbul the story for Galatasaray was much different, founded in the elite Lycée de Galatasaray / Mekteb-i Sulṭānī (Galatasaray High School / the Imperial High School) by Ali Sami Yen and his classmates. But unlike other Turkish teams being founded in the Ottoman Empire at the time, instead of being shutdown, it was described the Team of Sultans. Just as the school had been the symbol of Turkish excellence, the clubs DNA was forged with that. The founder Ali Sami Yen's famous quote that described not just the founding of the club, the the clubs identity to this day.

'Our aim is to play collectively like the English to have a color and a name and to beat non-Turkish teams.'

This prestigious beginning to the club has seen it be described as 'the club of the elite' by many, which it is still described as today by many, even those within Galatasaray. Which has been true not just off the pitch, but on the pitch as well. Since the 50s Galatasaray has been Turkey's most successful team on the international stage, going onto win its first major European trophy in 2000 with the Europa League. Followed by that years Super Cup. From that point forward, Galatasaray has been commonplace on the European stage, competing in the Europa League and Champions League almost every year since then. In 2020 Galatasaray became the first Turkish team to win the UEFA Champions League, and win the Super Cup as the UEFA Champions that year. Though this has made Galatasaray a symbol of capitalism and greed in the eyes of many Turks as well, even the TKP (Turkish Communist Party) in the 2017 election promising to 'breakup' Galatasaray if they were elected into power.

For many on both sides of this rivalry, their club represents a lifestyle, and a society they know in Istanbul. And with each clash of these arch rivals being as unpredictable as the last, we look forward to seeing how this rivalry will continue to shape up this year.

İstanbul 2020 comes to an end

TRT Sports

SPORTS – Following the mutli week epic that saw the nations of the world competing on the highest level, representing their nations against all. From the countless stories told at the Olympics, the XXXII Olympiad has been described as a massive success. The closing ceremony, like the opening ceremony, was a massive show.

After the world had been thanked for coming, not just by the Turkish Olympic delegation, but by the Olympic governing body itself. The XXXII Olympiad was finally declared over, with the hosts for the 2024 games putting on a small show afterward. Like each year, the games finally closed with a massive fireworks display that covered the skyline of Istanbul. Large celebrations and parties have broken out across the city, with both locals and tourists celebrating the last few days of this vacation.

The United States came in first with 45 gold medals, 38 silver medals, and 40 bronze medals. The United Kingdom came in second with 23 gold, 25 silver, and 22 bronze medals. And China came in third with 22 gold, 16 silver, and 28 bronze medals. The top five was rounded off by Germany and Russia respectively.

The rest of the top 20 include the following nations (in no particular order):

Japan, France,

Korea (South), Kenya,

Italy, Australia,

Brazil, Spain,

Iran, Turkey,

Central America,

Netherlands, Uzbekistan,

Kazakhstan, and Canada.


Turkish Airlines also announced it would be expanding flights to include new destinations in China, the United States, and Australia, and many more. (I honestly forgot to post this thing and I dont think i ever will get around to making detailed thing on it)



Read dispatch

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