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Abstract
Turkey has arguably one of the most passionate fan bases in the world. Yet, the political silence that permeates through the ranks of the fan bases of Istanbul’s ‘big’ clubs is puzzling as the country slowly decays into authoritarianism. What explains this silence and the surprising apolitical disposition of fans? I argue that a multi-layered de-politicization process hangs over Turkish soccer, nested within a web of clientelistic relations that stretches from the state to the clubs and fan groups. The military’s heavy-handed approach to suppressing political expressions of all sorts for several years following the 1980 coup helped ensure the de-politicization of soccer stadiums. Likewise, as major beneficiaries of state funds and sponsorships, soccer clubs sought to avoid political trouble and were actively involved in discouraging fan groups from political activism. Empirically, the article focuses primarily on the post-1980 period and the ‘big three’ of Istanbul, i.e. Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas.
Published Version
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