Possessions of Beşiktaş football club confiscated due to debt

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

A removal lorry waits in front of Beşiktaş's headquarters, as lawyers carry out the legal proceedings to confiscate the club's possessions. AA photo

Possessions belonging to Turkish football team Beşiktaş at its Istanbul headquarters have been confiscated as a result of legal proceedings launched by an advertising agency over the club’s unpaid debt.

Beşiktaş reportedly had a debt of $8.8 million dating back to when former head Yıldırım Demirören was chairing the club. The debt was reduced to $3.8 million and was set to be paid in installments as a part of new protocol signed by the club and company after Fikret Orman became the chairman.

But the advertising company launched the legal process for the seizure of the club’s properties after encountering trouble in receiving the last payment worth 300,000 dollars.

Beşiktaş reportedly made the payment by check, but the company could not withdraw the money because the bank did not have that amount of money at the moment.

Beşiktaş officials appealed against the confiscation, saying the move was not ethical as all the debt had actually been paid, according to their own records.

The club has filed a lawsuit for negative clearance in order to prove that the club did not owe debt to the company anymore.