Between a series of resignations at the top, a standoff with global soccer associations over sacking Turkey’s internationally acclaimed referees, rumors of selling one of the country’s oldest clubs to a Russian oligarch and a new sports law that experts call a “coup,” Turkey’s soccer sector is having an exciting season — and it is mostly off the field. 

“This is one controversial season for Turkish soccer. In terms of refereeing, club management and national-level soccer governance, we have hit rock bottom,” said international relations associate professor and Kadir Has University Sports Studies Research Center advisory board member Ozgehan Senyuva. “Many fans of Turkish soccer have abandoned the national league and started watching other European leagues, especially Britain’s Premier League. You can have soccer without fans, but not without spectators.” 

The downward spiral of the Turkish national men’s soccer team — exacerbated by the economic crisis and inter-elite conflict within the highly politicized management teams — was demonstrated by the red and white’s failure to secure a place in the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar — the fifth time in a row they have failed to qualify for the global event.  

Shortly after this disappointment, Nihat Ozdemir, a construction mogul who held the reins of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) for the last three years, stepped down. “I have been pondering about stepping down for the last six months,” he told the local media. “It is impossible to work with those people who say one thing behind closed doors then go and do something entirely different.”