My plan for Christmas was to leave rainy Manchester and do something other than spending the whole of December either drunk or hungover. Volunteering in Nepal was my chosen adventure but that’s a long old way away from the north of England.
The best value option for the outbound flight was a pricey £350, but rather than do the 2 stop journey all in one go I decided it’d be rude to pass by Istanbul and not stop for a few days. I called up my reliable footy travel duo of Lee and Dave and before we knew it, a plan was hatched. I booked my flights around the fixtures and it was time to dispel some demons after last year’s disastrous trip to Turkey and finally see some football there.
Options Galore
With a mere 7 teams in the Turkey Super League based in Istanbul, fixture hunting wasn’t going to get much easier than this. Add to that another 3 in the division below in case of emergency.
A few of months after booking, Lee finally let his wife know and after squeezing in a few weekends gaining brownie points we were on our way. A couple of Manchester Craft Lager’s were swiftly consumed at the airport before boarding the 4 hour Easyjet flight where my homemade scones and Birra Moretti tided us over until landing. A nice smooth trip and if travelling light flights can be picked up for as little as £100 return at the right time of year, a real bargain.
VIP Treatment
On arrival, for the same price as an Uber we were swept aside by a Taxi driver offering a VIP service. Can’t say no to that. Once Dave accepted that we weren’t about to be kidnapped, we could enjoy the big screen with Youtube, a free beer and disco lights. What more could we want? Welcome to Turkey.
Sadly due to arriving late on the Friday we were too late for Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Adana Demispor. But as I say, there were plenty more fixtures to get our teeth into.
We pitched up at our accommodation, £50 a night between the 3 of us. Nicely located on the Asian side of Istanbul, one of only five cities in the world split over two continents. We stayed in the trendy town of Kadıköy, not to be confused with the less enthralling town of Karaköy across the water, one where I spent an evening on my last visit wondering what all the fuss was about.
This location would have been ideal for a Fenerbahçe game as their stadium is located in the area. Unfortunately the fixture for the weekend that we had our hearts set on was the big derby against Beşiktaş across the Bosphorus strait. There can’t be too many derbies where the main method of arrival is jumping on a ferry across the water.
High Demand
As expected, tickets were near impossible to buy for such a game. Options included taking the risk using viagogo. Multiple negative reviews, even specifically referencing Turkey put us off any potential scams there. I sent out enquiries via my friend Arthur to the journalist world and even a desperate message to Beşiktaş’ Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, all to no avail. I managed to speak to a few locals who advised that even if signing up as a member, it would be near impossible to obtain tickets so it was over to Homefans.net to see if they could secure us something.
One of their hosts assured us he would do his best and eventually managed to snaffle tickets which were only released on sale the Monday before. As you can imagine, with such scarcity and demand the prices weren’t cheap. Once in a situation like this, the choices are pay way over the odds and take the hit knowing you’ll likely never be in this location in this position again in your life, or save the pennies and miss out on the opportunity. Despite the high price of £140, we all decided we would bite the bullet and take the tickets. I guess we’ll have to retire a couple of days later than planned.
Passolig Pain
One of the main blockers to purchasing our own tickets was the Pasolig system. This is essentially a system where every fan has their own unique membership card for the league, optionally allocated to your home team. This was introduced to reduce crowd trouble in Turkey and allow an element of control so the authorities knew exactly who was going to the game. It is however a right pain for anyone to get a ticket, no walking up on the day for the top 2 divisions sadly. A real buzz kill for a groundhopper.
Ogulcan was our saviour and picked us up on the morning of the game, a dark and dreary day with a light drizzle giving everything a homely feel. He handled everything at the ticket office and we soon had our admission sorted allowing us time to pick up some scarves before heading in search of our first beers of the day.
Beşiktaş itself is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Istanbul with history dating back through times of Byzantine and Ottoman rule who gave Istanbul its previous names of Byzantium and Constantinople. It is a key port on the banks of the Bosphorus and an important commercial area of the city.
Beşiktaş History
As for the club, formed in 1903 as the first sports club in the country hence the Turkish flag on the badge. They are known as one of the big three of Turkey along with city rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. They won their first title in 1934 and their last and 21st was added conveniently in 2021.
Along the way they became the first and only Turkish team to finish the season as invincibles in 91-92 to complete their record of three consecutive titles. They now sit behind just Fenerbahçe 28 and Galatasaray 24 as the most successful teams in Turkey.
They have been perennial figures in Europe since becoming Turkey’s first representative in continental football in 1958. Despite their regularity they have never really threatened to win any silverware with a few Quarter Finals dotted across the years being their best efforts. Recent form has left UEFA currently ranking them the 123rd best in Europe, neatly sandwiched between Utrecht and Rijeka.
Çarşı
Pre-match we were encouraged by everyone to head towards ‘The Eagle’. The symbol of Beşiktaş, the statue placed at the junction of four pedestrianised streets in the heart of the district of Beşiktaş. The name of the now disbanded main Beşiktaş fan group, Çarşı, is named after this vibrant marketplace.
It is understood as more of a feeling and way of thinking rather than particularly being an official membership. Known for their left wing views after being set up by youthful working class people in 1982, reluctantly lead by Optik Başkan. Being formed while Turkey was under military rule encouraged their anarchic but peaceful attitude. After Başkan’s sudden death in 2007 the group disappeared from view but returned with a bang in 2013.
After the terrible events at Gezi Park that threatened the freedom of the Turkish people, they sprung back into action. All rivalries were put aside and they united with ultras from their biggest rivals to fight against the Government. Since then they have again been quiet but the Çarşı spirit will always remain amongst the Beşiktaş faithful.
Time for a Beer
Activity was starting to build but kick off was some hours away so we popped into Elma Pub where the fans sheltered from the gloomy conditions. You could feel the years of tradition and feeling amongst the fans as the songs were blasted out. We sampled a few Bomonti and Tuborg and clapped along as we got a taster of what was to come.
We were joined by a fellow groundhopper, Adam from Newcastle. He was introduced to us by Ogulcan and we shared stories of groundhopping excursions abroad. He’d also enjoyed the delights of Galatasaray the night before and had nothing but praise for the atmosphere. One for the future maybe.
We headed down nicely oiled to get amongst the singing. Flares could be purchased for a few Turkish Lira so it’d be rude not to for some fun videos. It’s well worth heading to the Eagle for the positive vibes before a game. Getting you nicely in the mood and giving a feel for the fans’ traditions.
The place was buzzing but progress to the ground was slow, whether it was picking up a tasty burger, grabbing an Efes from the shops or stopping for the much famed Mussels. Eventually we arrived at the Tüpraş Stadyumu. Better known until recently as Vodafone Park, even before that the Vodafone Arena had a name change due to president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s dislike of the word arena and its Roman origins and it’s negative connotations.
Tüpraş Stadyumu
Constructed in 2016, the 43,000 seater arena was built on the site of the İnönü Stadium, their previous home since 1947. The modern stadium was cleverly designed to appear discrete from the water and not to be too imposing and belittle the nearby Dolmabahçe Palace which spent 50 years as the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire.
Lee’s attempt to smuggle in a vape under his hat was foiled due to high security levels. No great surprise surveillance was tight given 48 people were killed in a terrorist bombing outside the stadium exactly 7 years ago to the weekend. A signal of the turbulence of Turkey that has plagued the country in recent years.
We decided to get in as early as possible to get our monies worth and avoid any potential issues, but it was all plain sailing and we found our spot to sit 45 minutes before kick-off amongst a friendly bunch of people. We had a great view directly opposite the Fenerbahçe fans and with the Beşiktaş ultras in between we were well set for a great show. Both sets of fans were in fine voice long before the match started but sadly there was no Tifo ahead of the big game.
Historic Rivalry
99 years since the first Derby of Istanbul, these two famous clubs have battled it out hundreds of times and still the hatred runs deep, Asian side vs European side, the middle class against the working class that they call glue sniffers due to a prevalence of the issue in Beşiktaş in the past.
Fenerbahçe went into the game riding high on the top of the table with only Galatasaray separating the two teams. Turkish football was hoping for a little renaissance as there had been significant investment over the summer. Some real high quality players joined the league, Wilf Zaha, Hakim Ziyech and Mauro Icardi had strengthened the Galatasaray ranks.
Fenerbahçe brought in a mere 19 new signings with some experienced names amongst them, veteran Leonardo Bonucci, Fred, Symanski, Cengiz Under but most notable of all was their new captain Edin Dzeko who just four months earlier had been representing Inter Milan in the Champions League Final right here in Istanbul.
Lively Start
Dzeko showed just why Fenerbahçe were right to give the 37 year old a two year contract as he combined beautifully with fellow free summer signing Dusan Tadic to turn in his 14th goal of the season. Another former Premier League player Cenk Tosun won a penalty on the break after 20 minutes which was coolly converted by Englishman Oxlade-Chamberlain to pull things level.
The Yellow Canaries showed how well their new squad had gelled and completely outplayed their close city rivals. Despite the domination they had nothing more to show for their first half efforts and went into the break all square.
An hour and a half since our last beers on a cold afternoon, we went in search of refreshment for a little pick me up. And boy did we get one, Salep, absolutely incredible. Just when we needed something tasty to warm the soul this did exactly that. A flour based drink that was even popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries and I can see just why. It only fell out of fashion due to its affiliation with curing venereal diseases and was gradually eased out and replaced by Coffee. I will be on the look out to try it again at every opportunity.
Second Half
Suitably revitalised, we took our places for the second half to see if the home fans could reinvigorate the players and power their team to victory.
Quite how the ref missed the blatant clumsy foul by Eric Bailly on Szymanski was hard to believe but for once VAR was a welcome intervention. Tadic casually tucked the ball away in front of the Beşiktaş faithful to give them a deserved lead.
Fenerbahçe were more than good value for their lead and continued to pile on the pressure. Beşiktaş hung on in there and at 2-1 there was always hope on the breakaway. Bailly seemed to put the final nail in the coffin, another penalty against him, this time handball and another example of the haplessness that Manchester United fans dreaded every time they saw his name in the starting line up during his six seasons at Old Trafford. This time however his blushes were spared as Gunok saved brilliantly from Tadic.
Game Over
The game was finally put to bed 6 minutes into injury time and the away support left delighted. Beşiktaş fans showed their distaste for the performance but the gap in class was clear. The Ox cut a lonely figure as he applauded the desolate home support.
Now Bailly did indeed have a shocker but I was surprised to hear he – along with 4 other players – was removed from the first team squad the next day. “Poor performances” and “Incompatibles within the team” were the reasons given for banishing them from the group. 14 points behind their two great rivals and bottom of their Conference League Group meant the hierarchy felt the rebuild needed accelerating.
We finished up the evening nicely sozzled after a few more beers and a sardine overdose back in the heart of the vibrant Beşiktaş before heading back home across the water. A spot well worth heading for a night out regardless of whether a match had been played. A great day of football and we were hoping for more of the same the following day…
Is Beşiktaş worth a visit as a Footy Trip?
As always I will rate Beşiktaş as a footy trip out of 100 across 10 categories
Team Ability – Not in their greatest moment but the 123rd best team in Europe, one of the famous Big 3 in Europe’s 9th best league – 6/10
Atmosphere – The Turkish fans are known for their fieriness and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Intense atmosphere long before kick off through until the final whistle with constant singing and whistling throughout, added to that a full away contingent created a wonderful spectacle – 9/10
Stadium Quality – A top stadium inside and out, modern with great views, close proximity to the pitch and a well suited size for the club – 8/10
Beer/Food at stadium – No beer but the simply incredible Salep was much more like what we needed on the day. A good selection of Doner Dürüm and plenty of other snacks too – 7/10
Tourism – An incredibly unique city covering two continents. Thousands of years of history spanning different empires, so much depth and a variety of beautiful sights to see – 7/10
Accessibility – Surprisingly cheap to get to and quite affordable once you get there, cracking spot even if it is a four hour flight away – 8/10
People – Generally only met pleasant people other than a few bouncers refusing entry for no reason and a decent level of English speakers – 7/10
Stadium Surroundings – Great vibes by ‘The Eagle’, perfect preparation for the game and a short stroll to the stadium from there – 7.5/10
History – 124 years old and 90 years since their first title, winning 21 in total and regulars in Europe but with little success there – 6.5/10
Ease/Cost of ticket purchase – Normally tickets start at around £20. It will only sell out twice a year for the big derbies but when it does, the prices are steep and difficult to come by. The Passolig system also adds a painful level of complexity– 5/10
Total – 71/100
Overall a really impressive score and an extremely interesting place to watch football. An incredibly passionate footballing country, a great culture of food and drink and somewhere I’d highly recommend for a Footy Trip, don’t be put off by the distance.
Accomplishments
For me in terms of personal accomplishments on this trip
Turkey is the 22nd country I’ve watched football in and now one quarter of the way to the UEFA 55.
An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for reading and until the next footy trip, take it easy