Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Matthew Holt

European giants welcome a whopping 25,000 fans to members' vote to LEAVE their league

25.000 members fill Fenerbahce's home stadium in Istanbul.

25,000 Fenerbahce members have turned up to the club's home stadium in order to vote on their Turkish Super Lig future.

Last month, hierarchy of the 19-time champions said they were considering a move to another European league after a mass brawl ensued following their match with Trabzonspor.

Fenerbahce won the game 3-2 but fans and players then attacked members of Ismail Kartal's squad as they attempted to leave the pitch.

Trabzonspor fans attacked Fenerbahce's players inside the stadium. (Image credit: Getty Images)

With tensions still boiling over, some 25,000 members gathered inside the Sukru Sarakoglu Stadium on Tuesday to have their say on how they would the club to proceed.

Most are expected to want to leave the Turkish top flight, with a move to Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, France and Italy all touted as possible options.

No decision has yet been reached with Turkey's official governing body and it remains to be seen whether leaving the league midway through the season would be sanctioned.

The Athletic recently reported how the incident at the end of the Trabzonspor clash - which came after missiles also struck several Fenerbahce players during the game - was the final straw for the Turkish side, who believe they have received unfair treatment from authorities for years.

Fenerbahce are 19-time champions of the Turkish first division. (Image credit: Getty Images)

“We will create our own destiny, we'll be relegated to a lower league, if necessary,” Fenerbahce President Ali Koc said at a press conference last month

“We'll die once instead of dying every day. If necessary, we'll play [in the First Division] for a year and win promotion again. 

"If you treat us like a pariah club in this country, and I say this to the state, to the TFF [Turkish Football Federation], to the media, we have to decide our own future. 

"This is not some kind of blackmail or threat,” he added.

More Turkish football stories

Michy Batshuayi attacks fan with spinning kick in the head amid chaotic scenes in Turkey

Turkish Super Cup: Why was Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce postponed just over an hour after scheduled kick-off – with thousands of fans sent home?

The
biggest derbies in world football

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.