Give up on GS’ Arena already
Let’s talk football today. There has been a scuffle going on deeply for some time.
A stadium is being sought for football club Beşiktaş to use this year, and Galatasaray’s Türk Telekom Arena is repeatedly being suggested as an option. The Galatasaray (GS) administration first kindly listed its reasons in explaining that it would not be able to meet this demand. They convinced Beşiktaş Chairman Fikret Orman.
Then, Sports Minister Suat Kılıç and the head of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Yılıdırm Demirören, stepped in. The GS administration again went to Ankara, held meetings, listed its reasons and explained that the stadium could not be shared.
Finally, they have, this time with a loud voice, answered, “No.”
However, they’re not letting it go. The sports minister and the head of the federation are insistent. It is as if their aim is to bother GS and make Beşiktaş a partner at the arena.
They are not getting off either the arena or GS’ back. Moreover, they are still exerting pressure despite the fact that they know very well what kind of difficulties they will face. Demirören, both to make GS pay back for what happened after the cup and to have himself pardoned by Beşiktaş himself, is lobbying deeply.
The sports minister, on the other hand, must have an unsettled account with GS and he is doing his worst behind closed doors, delaying the registration of several contracts regarding the stadium for one year. Moreover, in order to prevent objections on the matter, he is said to be citing the prime minister’s name and influence recklessly.
These respected personalities do not know one thing. No GS administration would share the arena with another club. It cannot. It is the property of GS, not the state.
The state bought GS’ field in Mecidiyeköy and sold it for a price of around 480 million Turkish Liras. It built the arena for about half this amount and gave it to GS. In other words, nobody has done any favors for anybody else.
The arena belongs to GS and in the eyes of the supporter, it has become its new home.
If you want to provoke Beşiktaş (BJK) and Galatasaray supporters into fighting each other, despite not having had any problems until now, you can continue on this insistence.
Meanwhile, the BJK supporter does not want the arena. Go onto fan sites and read the entries and statements. You will see that they prefer the Kasımpaşa Stadium instead of the arena.
Kasımpaşa has invited the BJK administration. The Olympic Stadium is standing over there. Nobody is talking about Fenerbahçe’s stadium in Kadıköy. In every case, it’s the arena… In all cases, it’s GS…
Well, what is it with this insistence then?
Why are they pressuring that much knowing that they will not be able to obtain it? Is the duty of the sports minister and the head of the federation to provide peace in sports or is it to create new issues and stir things up?
We will continue watching with astonishment as we draw lessons.
They can exert as much effort as they can; they should know very well that the sports world and the supporters of the two teams will not allow them to weaken GS-BJK relations via the arena.
They should let go of this unnecessary intervention because this business might mean the end of peace in sports. The failure will be laid, at the end, at the door of the TFF and the Sports Ministry, both of which are tasked with providing peace.