Gambling corrupts football

After the support I received for my article yesterday titled "Gambling corrupts sports," it became essential to write another piece on match-fixing.

As you know, Trabzonspor is one of the rarest examples of a team in the world.

It is the only city team outside of Istanbul to have won a championship.

It is said to resemble Liverpool, the team of dockworkers, and indeed, Trabzonspor's roots also trace back to the Faroz Port.

While its fanbase consists mostly of people from Trabzon, it is not composed solely of them.

It continues its journey with the support of the Black Sea region.

It receives support from the cities of Artvin, Rize, Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, and Zonguldak.

Gümüşhane, meanwhile, is almost like Trabzon itself.

It would be fair to say there is almost no one there who supports other teams.

The love and support of the Turkish nation, which loves to stand by the oppressed who strive with their labor, for Trabzonspor has spread across the entire country.

For years, Trabzonspor has stood up to the Istanbul football teams, which are the centers of civilization, finance, and culture.

I do not know if this has anything to do with 1453 and 1461, but the foundation of the Trabzon–Istanbul line dates back many years.

Perhaps this is why only Trabzonspor can stand up to the Istanbul teams; and it does so despite constant backroom dealings, even when it gets hurt.

Trabzonspor, which responded to the dirty tricks of the Istanbul bourgeoisie with equal harshness in the 1970s, stepped back in the 1980s, partly out of respect for state decorum, and settled for what it was given.

For this, it is enough to look at the statement made by Şenol Güneş after the Presidential Cup match awarded to Ankaragücü.

In the 1990s, its squads, which shook up the Istanbul teams like cotton, were constantly blocked by referees.

Their match motivation was hindered by unfair cards and rigged penalties.

Although this obstacle continued into the 2000s, Trabzonspor managed to become champion again in 2022 after a 38-year hiatus.

During the period when the Pennsylvanians manipulated the league, all decisions were used against Trabzonspor.

Even though it went through difficult times from time to time during this period, it managed to protect its brand value with the support of its fans.

Meanwhile, the championships taken from its hands through heavy match-fixing in 1996 and 2010 are still in memory.

Referees thought they were cutting down Trabzonspor with biased practices and irregular decisions in matches played both in Istanbul and Trabzon.

The saplings that grow even stronger with every cutting continue to annoy the Istanbul football gangs.

Of course, they also knew that the roots of these saplings went all the way back to 1461; yet, they remained as arrogant as ever.

Let them have no worries, let them not be sad.

Even if betting barons manipulate referees, even if referees bet on the matches they officiate, and even if some players gamble on their own matches, Trabzonspor will be champion again.