Basaksehir is Turkish football champion for the first time. The Istanbul club, founded in 1990, won the SüperLig 1-0 (1-0) against Kayserispor on the penultimate matchday and is now no longer displaced from the top of the table with 69 points. Since pursuer Trabzonspor (62 points) lost 3: 4 (1: 1) to Konyaspor at home, Basaksehir could have even afforded a defeat. Mahmut Tekdemir scored Basaksehir’s winning goal in the 19th minute.
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On the one hand, the title is an anomaly in Turkish football. This has been dominated by the three major Istanbul clubs for decades: Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. They made 54 championships among themselves. Basaksehir is only the sixth club to win the title since the introduction of the SüperLig in 1959. The last time this had been achieved outside the three top teams Bursaspor ten years ago, before that the last time the champion was 1984 (Trabzonspor) was not Gala, Fener or Besiktas.
Only: Basaksehir’s success does not come as a surprise. The club is the heart association of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he has various connections not only to the President but also to his AKP party. Club boss Göksel Gümüsdag was formerly a party official and is married to the niece of Erdogan’s wife. The club is sponsored by government-related companies.
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He affords some well-known players. The club’s squad includes former Brazilian superstar Robinho and former Bundesliga professionals Demba Ba and Eljero Elia. There are also other stars of yore, such as Martin Skrtel (35, ex-Liverpool) or Gaël Clichy (34, Man City).
While Basaksehir will play in the Champions League next season, the big three clubs will have to watch in the premier class. Besiktas is fourth after a 2-0 win over Fenerbahce, but has only theoretical chances to reach the qualifying round for the Champions League. Galatasaray (fifth place) and Fener even miss the Europa League.
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