Striking claim from Fatih Altaylı regarding the past of ultrAslan leader Sebahattin Şirin! 'Years ago, he was a fan of another team...'

Journalist Fatih Altaylı has shared his assessments regarding Muzaffer (Sebahattin) Şirin, the leader of the ultrAslan fan group, who was placed under house arrest following his detention as part of an investigation into illegal betting and sports-related crimes.

In an article published on his own website titled "The so-called fan leader and the darkness surrounding him," Altaylı used notable expressions regarding Şirin's connection to the Galatasaray community. Altaylı stated, "Frankly, as a Galatasaray fan, I was uncomfortable with such a person's name being associated with my community, and in fact, he wasn't even a Galatasaray fan to begin with. Years ago, while he was a fan leader for another team, he switched to Galatasaray following a disagreement he had there."

In his article, Altaylı also recalled the allegations of black-market ticket sales at Galatasaray that he had brought to the agenda about two years ago. Claiming that certain individuals within the club were selling black-market tickets through fan organizations, Altaylı argued that the name of the ultrAslan group stood out in this regard, especially for matches played abroad.

Evaluating Şirin's recent social media post directed at Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, Altaylı stated that he found the move to be "strange and illogical."

WHAT HAPPENED?

As part of the investigation conducted in Istanbul, Şirin was charged with "possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition," "disrupting the order of competitions through his statements on social media," "unauthorized entry of spectators into competition and viewing areas," and "publicly spreading misleading information." It was stated that judicial control measures, including a travel ban and house arrest, were applied to Şirin.

While being transferred to the courthouse, Şirin chanted slogans in favor of PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan, saying, "Freedom for Mr. Öcalan." Regarding his remarks in favor of Öcalan, Şirin said, "I made the statement 'Freedom for Mr. Öcalan, freedom for Mr. Öcalan' because I support the process of a Turkey without terrorism and the unity and solidarity of the country. I have no other purpose or criminal intent."