Galatasaray agrees with Inter in Sneijder chase

In this Aug. 26, 2012 file photo, Inter Milan's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Pescara and Inter Milan, at the Adriatico stadium in Pescara, Italy. AP photo

Galatasaray has agreed to terms with Inter for the trade of Wesley Sneijder, and the transfer is now down to the persuasion of the Dutch superstar, Turkish media reported today.

The Istanbul club agreed to pay eight million euros to the Italian giants in its bid to sign the star midfielder, daily Vatan reported today.

The Lions will try to make Sneijder agree a lucrative salary, however, news reports claim that the 28-year-old player is willing to listen to other offers, presumably from top European clubs.

Vatan added that Galatasaray offered an initial payment of six million euros in addition to 3.2 million euros yearly salary and 25.000 euros per appearance to the player.

Today’s reported agreement between Galatasaray and Inter came a day after the Istanbul club officially announced that it was in talks with the Italians on the signing of Sneijder.

Galatasaray made the announcement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange (İMKB) just hours after chairman Ünal Aysal confirmed that they approached Inter Milan for the star.

“We had lunch with Inter chairman Massimo Moratti [on Jan. 7],” Aysal told a group of reporters on the club’s official television channel, GS TV. “We talked about how we can cooperate in youth systems. The Sneijder issue was on the table as well. We have made positive progress about this transfer. I think it will be cleared in the coming days.”

Due to Turkish football clubs being active in the stock exchange as companies, clubs have an obligation to inform the public about transactions. Clubs rarely announce that they are in talks unless they are close to finalizing a deal due to Capital Markets Board (SPK) regulations.

However, the summer of 2011 saw Galatasaray announce that it was in talks with Atletico Madrid for Jose Antonio Reyes, Diego Forlan and Tomas Ujfalusi, but the club ended up signing only the latter.

Now, persuading Sneijder to continue his career in Istanbul will be the key to the transfer.

When questioned about any potential switch to Istanbul, Sneijder’s agent, Soren Lerby, told De Telegraaf, “Every day there is a new club linked with Wesley. For that reason I have decided not to answer any more questions.”

“England probably has the top league in Europe, so it could be appealing, but Wes would want to play for a top team,” Lerby told BBC Sport last week in response to rumors that Premier League clubs are also chasing Sneijder.

The Dutchman has reportedly attracted the interest of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and even the Queens Park Rangers from the Premier League.

Although he was instrumental in Inter’s Champions League victory in 2010, Sneijder fell out of favor at the Italian giants since the departure of coach Jose Mourinho and participated in just five matches this season under coach Andrea Stramaccioni. Despite a disappointing campaign, the Dutchman remains one of the highest-profile midfielders in the game today and might be a game-changer for whichever club he decides to ply his trade to.

With that in mind, Galatasaray fans took to social media after the club’s announcement late Jan. 7, sending messages not only about Sneijder but also to his wife Yolanthe, brother Rodney, and even his mother Sylvia, to persuade the superstar to move to Istanbul.

“Istanbul is definitely nice!” Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau responded to one of hundreds of tweets. “Have been there many times, love Turkey! But what will happen I do not know, honey.” (Hürriyet Daily News)

Points to Man United, credit goes to Galatasaray

Manchester United’s Nani misses a penalty against Galatasaray. German referee Wolfgang Stark, however, did not award a blatant penalty to Galatasaray in the game. AP photo

Galatasaray lost 1-0 to Manchester United in its first game in the Champions League campaign, but the Lions deserve some credit for their battle against the English heavyweights.

An early goal by Michael Carrick gave Manchester United the victory, but everything could have been different at Old Trafford on Sept. 18 if the German referee had been courageous enough to punish defender Nemanja Vidic’s foul against Umut Bulut as a penalty 33 seconds after the kick-off.

Stark was, however, so generous in placing the ball on the spot after Rafael da Silva was brought down by Burak Yılmaz in an almost identical position to where Vidic fouled Bulut.

Despite a 1-0 defeat against United, Galatasaray’s return to the Champions League after a six year hiatus was remarkable. Coach Fatih Terim’s squad have proven they belong in this league with their outstanding performance on the pitch that caused United to remain in a defensive position rather than seek counter attacks to secure the match after Carrick’s early goal.

In a show of pure self-confidence, Terim praised his team’s performance saying “our players have shown a good resistance. Our kids fought until the last moment. But we have some problems in finishing. What was important here was to challenge United and to force them to try to kill the time in the last moments of the match.”

Terim did not miss out on the chance to up the ante for a second match between the two in Istanbul, recalling Sir Alex Ferguson’s statement that they were worried before the match. “We will make Ferguson much more disturbed in Istanbul. The Arena will be in a very different atmosphere”, he told reporters after the match.

In the other game of the group, Cluj beat Braga 2-0. Galatasaray will host Braga in its next game on Oct. 2.

Cim Bom fans shame United fans

Not a group known to be silent during games, nearly 2,500 Galatasaray fans cheered and screamed from the very beginning of the match, overshadowing nearly 71,000 United supporters present.

“It cost me 200 pounds as I had to buy the ticket from the black market. But every penny I paid was worth to it,” a Galatasaray fan who came from London told me before the match. A group of members from Ultraslan, Galatasaray’s biggest supporter group, rallied in the streets chanting “We are the best! Galatasaray!” hours before the kick off.

Galatasaray’s fans were given due credit through twitter messages all throughout the night with Manchester supporters confessing they were beaten in the tribune.

Jack Thompson tweeted “Galatasaray’s 2,500 fans made Man. U’s 71,000 fans look silly tonight,” while Phil Jones said “I’m sure Man. United are meant to be home?! Their fans are getting embarrassed by Galatasaray fans!”

Among the spectators was Turkey’s Ambassador to London Ünal Çeviköz. Çeviköz expressed his satisfaction that there were no major incidents between the two team’s fans. “The match is going to be played in a very good atmosphere. We are surely very happy of it”, he said, adding he was to present a box of Turkish delight to his hosts at Manchester United. (Serkan Demirtaş/Hurriyet Daily News)

Topal signs four-year contract with Fenerbahçe

Portugal's player Joao Moutinho in action against Turkey's Mehmet Topal (L) and Bekir Irtegun (R) during the friendly soccer match between Portugal and Turkey at Luz Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, 02 June 2012. EPA/MARIO CRUZ

Turkish midfielder Mehmet Topal has inked a four-year contract with Istanbul club Fenerbahçe.

Fenerbahçe will pay a transfer fee of 4.5 million euros to Spanish side Valencia, according to a club announcement.

The Istanbul club reported that it had successfully concluded its talks with the Turkish midfielder, who spent two years with Valencia after moving there from Galatasaray. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Galatasaray handed over league trophy in the dark

DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

Galatasaray is crowned as the Spor Toto Super League champion more than three hours after the final whistle of a title decider derby game at Fenerbahçe’s Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium

Video cameras and flashes illumed a dark Şükrü Saraçoğlu pitch in the early hours of yesterday, as the newly-crowned Galatasaray received the championship trophy after the final game of the Spor Toto Super League.

The Istanbul club’s 18th league title came following a goalless draw at Fenerbahçe, which helped the visiting side grab the title in a season overshadowed by a major investigation into match-fixing allegations. Galatasaray players, coaches, executives and journalists spent more than three hours inside the stadium before the trophy ceremony, as police tried to disperse angry and devastated Fenerbahçe supporters.

The home fans hoped that a victory against Galatasaray, and hence the league title, would be the crowning glory of a season in which Fenerbahçe struggled with problems both on and off the pitch. Many of the club’s supporters and players said ahead of Saturday night’s game that they would dedicate the trophy to Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım, who is on trial under arrest for his alleged role in match fixing last season.

Despite losing the title, thousands of Fenerbahçe fans at Şükrü Saraçoğlu gave a standing ovation to their players, acknowledging the hard work they had put in throughout the season. But not all the fans were appreciative. Hundreds invaded the pitch after the final whistle, with many also trying to breach the security line to attack Galatasaray players.

Some fans managed to enter the corridors of the dressing rooms, where police had to use tear gas to disperse them. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe players were thus trapped in their dressing rooms, while journalists could not leave the press conference room for hours. Hundreds of fans in the stands were also affected by the excessive pepper spray used by the police.

Following the incidents, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) offered to hand over the trophy to Galatasaray in the dressing room. However, the offer was rejected by Galatasaray Chairman Ünal Aysal and coach Fatih Terim. “The dressing room is not the place to receive the championship trophy,” Terim said in a televised interview. He also said Galatasaray could be considered two-times champion, as the club had both finished leader of the regular season and the playoff.

The team was given the trophy on the pitch three-and-a-half hours after the final whistle, reportedly following a phone call from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the Istanbul governor, where he ordered the ceremony to be held.

However, the trophy had to be given to the winning side under the lights of reporters’ video cameras, since the lights of the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium were no longer lit.

Galatasaray later travelled with the trophy to its facilities in Florya, where thousands of supporters had waited for hours to welcome the team. A brief celebration was held with the trophy in Florya, with the supporters cheering for coach Terim and players.

The club’s home stadium, the Türk Telekom Arena, was also set to host a major celebration last night to mark the end of the longer-than-usual season.

Angry Fenerbahçe supporters clash with police after the game

Hundreds of disappointed Fenerbahçe fans clashed with police following Saturday night’s title-deciding game. Fenerbahçe supporters threw stones at police, overturned trash bins and smashed shop windows around the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium in Kadiköy.

Forty-seven Fenerbahçe fans were detained during the clashes according to a security source. While the suspects were in custody yesterday, the police were working on
videos and photographs to identify more perpetrators. More detentions could follow, said the same source.

Television footage showed Fenerbahçe fans overturning police cars in front of a gas station. One of the police cars was torched by the angry mob and the fire was later put out by the employees of the gas station. Clashes between Fenerbahçe supporters and the police initially began before the match started when police tried to disperse fans outside the stadium before the kick off. Clashes in the Mecidiyeköy district before the game between fans of Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray resulted in the injuries of four Fenerbahçe fans.

A 12-year-old Fenerbahçe fan was also reportedly stabbed in a quarrel on a metrobus line. Meanwhile, Hasan Yarış, a 46-year-old Galatasaray fan, who died of heart attack during the derby game, was laid to rest yesterday in the Aegean province of Denizli.

Prime minister angry about rioting fans
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday he was sorry to see the incidents that followed Saturday night’s championship derby game between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray.

The prime minister said that women and children were allowed to attend otherwise closed games to raise the standards of the fans. “But swearing continues even at those games,” he said.

“We thought the women would help the men improve, but they were no better than the men. “I’m a Fenerbahçe fan, but I congratulate Galatasaray. I condemn the mentality that promotes terrorism in the stands,” he said. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Fener fans clash with police as Galatasaray wins championship

Hürriyet photo.

Galatasaray won the the Super League championship for the 18th time with a 0-0 draw at arch-rival Fenerbahçe's stadium at Istanbul's Kadıköy district, daily Hürriyet reported.

The game was marred by crowd trouble in and outside the stadium, and harsh police response.

Fenerbahçe fans occupied the pitch and clashed with police after Galatasaray' victory. Violence continued outside the stadium as well. Video footage showed at least two police cars turned over by rioting fans as police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Galatasaray fans filled the Taksim Square in Istanbul, as well as other central locations around Turkey to celebrate the championship. (hurriyetdailynews)

Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe ready for historic Super League final

Hürriyet Daily News photos, Emrah GÜREL

One of the most important nights in the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe will take place on Saturday in the the title game of the Spor Toto Super League

Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe will play the grand finale of the Spor Toto Super League playoffs on Saturday, in one of the most important matches in their century-old rivalry.

The two Istanbul teams will take part in a winner-takes-all battle on Saturday, with the winning team going on to claim the league title. The trophy will go to Galatasaray in the event of a draw.

Galatasaray leads the Spor Toto Super League championship playoffs, or Super Final, with 47 points, just one point ahead of defending champion Fenerbahçe.

However, Fenerbahçe has reason to believe that it is closer to the title as the match will be played at their home Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. The Yellow Canaries have a clear advantage over Galatasaray at home.

Galatasaray last won in Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, in 1999. The streak saw 10 consecutive losses in the last decade, but Galatasaray will draw hope from the fact that the last two derbies at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium ended in a draw.

Fener has momentum

Fenerbahçe comes into the game with some momentum. According to the newly-implemented playoff rules, Galatasaray saw its points halved at the end of the regular season. Before the start of the playoffs, Galatasaray had 77 points, nine more than Fenerbahçe. But it was not starting the playoffs with 39 points, to Fener’s 34, that put Galatasaray in their current perilous position – a poor playoff performance did.

After opening the post-season with a 2-0 win over Beşiktaş, Galatasaray had the chance to virtually end the title race on the second match-day of the Super Final, if they won over defending champion Fenerbahçe.

Galatasaray lost a game it largely dominated 2-1, and thus blew a chance to come into the last week without tension. Its erratic form continued with a goalless stalemate against Trabzonspor and a 2-2 draw against Beşiktaş. Had it won the two home games, Galatasaray could have taken this weekend’s derby as an exhibition match. But now it will have to fight for the title.

Nevertheless, leader Galatasaray still believes it has the edge. “We have the advantage against them,” Galatasaray’s right back Emmanuel Eboue said. “We will win the title even with a draw. So we need to be patient and play our own game.”

Ambitious Fenerbahçe has been fighting for the big victory all along. Starting the season under the fog of the match-fixing scandal, the Yellow Canaries took this season as one big opportunity to clear its name.

Rigging case woes

Five of the club’s officials, including chairman Aziz Yıldırım, are among the 93 Turkish football club officials, players and coaches that were listed as suspects in the case, which alleged that several games were manipulated in last season’s championship. The case shook the whole club, especially after it was barred from playing in the Champions League by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
Following the decision, Fenerbahçe had to sell several key players, including forward Mamadou Niang, defender Diego Lugano and winger Andre Santos, but the club continued fighting despite a weakened squad, taking the season into the last game.

There are worries that there could be crowd trouble in the game, even though no away fans will be allowed at the game. Fener goalkeeper Volkan Demirel warned that extremities of support can backfire for the team. “We’ve already showed that we are a team, regardless of the title. But we should know to congratulate our rivals if we cannot win,” Demirel said. “They should cheer for us, and they should pressure the rivals, but in a way not to put us under pressure.”

Fenerbahçe fans showed their interest in the title game by selling out the tickets in less than an hour earlier this week. However, the national media has reported that tickets are now being sold on the black-market for as high as 10,000 Turkish Liras.

On Friday, the TFF announced that it would award the trophy to the winning team at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. After 40 rounds of a tumultuous football season, the winner will be crowned on Saturday, hopefully bringing the chaos to an end. (hurriyetdailynews)

A momentary lapse of reason may cost Galatasaray title

Galatasaray fails to convert its domination to goals as Fenerbahçe survives the battle at the Türk Telekom Arena in one of the most lopsided matches in derby folklore. Fenerbahçe is two points behind Galatasaray and now back into the race

Fenerbahçe won 2-1 against Galatasaray in yesterday’s Spor Toto Super League playoffs, but the defeat might be a bigger trauma for the home team. On April 22, Galatasaray lost a game it had largely dominated, just as it saw its commanding league lead cut to just two points.

Galatasaray held a five-point league lead over Fenerbahçe coming into the game – an advantage which had been halved from their original nine points, in accordance with the playoff rule – and knew that even a draw would be enough for the team to remain beyond touching distance.

However, with a goal conceded early in the first half – the first-ever league goal by Swiss left back Reto Ziegler – Galatasaray found itself trying to equalize the score for much of the match.

Galatasaray had many chances to score throughout, but forward Necati Ateş and wingers Engin Baytar and Emre Çolak were largely wasteful. As nervous as the forwards looked in front of the opposition goal, Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel’s confident performance was a major factor as well.

Demirel’s performance was one for the ages. Blocking every single shot aside from İnan’s scorching free kick in the 68th minute.

For 12 minutes after the equalizer the Türk Telekom Arena had the atmosphere of a carnival. Home team fans were chanting, Galatasaray deliriously went on the attack for the winning goal, while Fenerbahçe did very little to improve their possession, which went as low as 38 percent during some periods of the game.

Slipping through
That was the moment when the game slipped through Galatasaray’s hands – only the home team was not aware of it. While Galatasaray was chasing the second goal, hoping to kill off the game as well as the championship, a shocking loss of defensive concentration gave space to Slovakian attacker Miroslav Stoch in the 80th minute.

Statistically speaking, this was a game Galatasaray could have, or even should have, won. The Lions had 22 goal attempts and 29 shots, more than four times the number their rivals had in those same departments. However, after the equalizer Galatasaray fell victim to its desire to beat their archrival.
Coach Fatih Terim, always known for his do-or-die attitude, has made it clear several times in his career that he is not one to play for draws and did not settle for finishing the game on 1-1.

After the equalizing goal, he could have replaced Albert Riera with one of his wingers, Engin or Emre maybe, or have taken Necati off the field to add another midfielder in order to turn the remaining 20 minutes into a dull play. Instead, he chose Milan Baros to replace Necati, trying to continue pressuring Fenerbahçe. Even though his team found chances “every 30 seconds,” as Terim said it afterwards, a heroic performance by Demirel, or a ridiculously low conversion rate by Galatasaray attackers as it could be described, gave Fenerbahçe a chance to cling onto the title race.

Upsets like this are not unheard of in derby folklore. A high-flying Galatasaray side lost a similarly lopsided derby 1-0, remembered for the Samuel Johnson free-kick, about a month before winning the UEFA Cup in 2000. Whether Galatasaray can this time overcome the psychological blow of losing a key game at its home ground and wasting its advantage or not remains to be seen.

One thing is clear: the Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray game on May 13, 2012, will be truly worthy of a grand finale. (Çetin Cem Yılmaz-hurriyetdailynews)

Fenerbahçe defeats Galatasaray 2-1 in playoff game

Fenerbahçe defeated bitter rival Galatasaray 2-1 in a game played at Galatasaray's Türk Telekom Arena in Istanbul yesterday.

The visitors closed the gap on leader Galatasaray to just two points with the victory. The Lions lead the four-team playoff with 42 points.

Fenerbahçe scored the first goal of the game through Reto Ziegler in the 17th minute. Galatasaray's Selçuk İnan answered with a free-kick goal in the 68th minute. The Lions subsequently had numerous chances to forge ahead but were hit on the break by Fenerbahçe substitute Miroslav Stoch in minute 79.

Galatasaray will visit Trabzonspor on April 28 while Fenerbahçe hosts Beşiktaş on April 29. (Hürriyet)

Fans clash in central Istanbul after derby match

Fans of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce clashed with each other in busy Taksim district of Istanbul. Fenerbahce beat Galatasaray 2-1 in the Sunday match...

The match of the Super Final took place at Galatasaray’s TT Arena Stadium on Sunday evening. The host was beaten by Fenerbahce 2-1 and added 3 points to its score. Fans of both teams clashed in Taksim area after the match.

The police made effort to ease both sides. Some Galatasaray fans were seen lighting torches in Taksim Square, despite their team’s defeat. (DHA)