For a Few Dollars More

The venue for the Super Cup, which pits the league champion against the Turkish Cup winner in Turkish football, has been determined. The Turkish Football Federation announced that the final will be played in Saudi Arabia during the 100th anniversary of the Republic. The decision has sparked reactions among the public.

Lawyer Aydın Davran reminded that the Super Cup final has previously been played in Germany and Qatar. Emphasizing that this situation is normal due to commercial reasons such as advertising and sponsorship revenues, Davran pointed out that neither of the two clubs has objected to the decision. Davran's article is as follows:

The history of football in Turkey dates back to the late 19th century, before the founding of our Republic. Following the initial football matches played by foreigners in Istanbul and Izmir, teams founded by Turks eventually became clubs. The clubs that sprouted in Istanbul's districts such as Beyoğlu and Kadıköy-Moda, where there was a foreign population and where prestigious schools attended by Turkish students were located, have become major communities supported by millions of people covering every segment of society today.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the organizer of football in Turkey, is as old as our Republic. Football organizations have been held almost uninterruptedly for over 100 years in various formats (amateur/professional, regional/national, elimination-style cup/league format, etc.). We also see that football organizations with symbolic meanings, such as the Gazi Cup held in 1928 and the 50th Anniversary Cup in 1973, have been organized.

This year is the 100th anniversary of our Republic. The conditions under which the Republic of Turkey was founded and the difficulties it overcame to reach today are known to us all.

In our football, there is a "Super Cup Final" match played every season that pits the Super Lig champion against the Turkish Cup winner. To date, these final matches have been played in various cities in Turkey as well as in Germany and Qatar.

Similar final matches are played in different locations around the world for advertising, sponsorship revenues, and similar commercial reasons. In today's world, where sports are a major industry, this is natural. The company that won the broadcast rights for our football league is Qatari, and the title sponsor is Chinese.

As announced by the TFF on October 20, this year's match will be played between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe on December 30, 2023. Its official name is the Turkcell Super Cup. The location is Saudi Arabia.

I briefly touched upon the history of football in our country above; these two clubs, whose names are mentioned, are among the pioneers of football, have contributed to the game being loved by the masses, and are the clubs with the highest number of fans today. The matches between them undoubtedly constitute the country's biggest football rivalry.

We have cities where modern stadiums have been built and which have special significance for the War of Independence and the founding of the Republic; such as Samsun, Sivas, Erzurum, Ankara, and Izmir. I wish these two deep-rooted clubs and their esteemed executives, who claim at every opportunity that they are more Kemalist than the other, had clearly and decisively expressed their desire for the Super Cup final in the 100th year of the Republic—which holds such great meaning—to be played in Turkey. Since the day the decision was announced, unfortunately, neither of our clubs has raised any objection. I know that some of the fans will react on social media, but that the clubs will remain silent for reasons that might be the subject of another article.

Happy 100th anniversary of our Republic. I commemorate the Great Leader Atatürk and all our heroes with gratitude.

*The Turkish title of the 1964 spaghetti western film starring Clint Eastwood, one of my late father's favorite actors.