Istanbul trio renew league rivalry
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Article summary
Every Turkish title since 1984 has been won by one of the Istanbul giants and the big three have spent heavily to ensure that their supremacy remains intact.
Article body
Every Turkish league title since 1984 has been won by one of the Istanbul giants – Fenerbahçe SK, Beşiktaş JK and Galatasaray SK – and that trio have spent heavily this summer to ensure their supremacy remains intact.
High-profile signings
Fenerbahçe took their 17th championship last season to move clear of Galatasaray in the all-time ranking and they have secured arguably the most high-profile of the new arrivals in Roberto Carlos. Coach Zico has also signed another compatriot, the left-sided Wederson from Ankaraspor AS, plus much-vaunted youngsters İlhan Parlak and Yasin Çakmak, right-back Gökhan Gönül , midfielder Ali Bilgin and speedy English forward Colin Kazım-Richards. They kick off the 2007/08 campaign against Istanbul BB SK later today.
Galatasaray ambition
Galatasaray's third-placed finish in 2006/07 has put them in UEFA Cup contention while their neighbours bid for UEFA Champions League qualification. They have appointed experienced German coach Karl-Heinz Feldkamp, who was in charge during the club's title-winning season of 1992/93, and they have paid a reported €5m to FC Schalke 04 for Brazilian playmaker Lincoln. Swedish anchorman Tobias Linderoth, defenders Ismael Bouzid, Servet Çetin and Volkan Yaman, goalkeeper Orkun Usak and SC Rot-Weiss-Essen duo Serkan Çalık and Barış Özbek are other recruits. A more seasoned campaigner is 35-year-old striker Hakan Şükür, who is two goals away from equalling Tanju Çolak's Turkish top-flight record tally of 240. However, they must play their first five home games behind closed doors as punishment for incidents in last term's fixture with Fenerbahçe – among those matches is the visit of Beşiktaş.
Beşiktaş changes
The Black Eagles, second last time around, have had the longest wait for the championship of the big three, stretching back to 2002/03. Despite less than positive forecasts, Beşiktaş's new coach Ertuğrul Sağlam is determined to end that disappointing sequence. Not only has he added three Turkish goalkeepers – national team stalwart Rüştü Reçber, Hakan Arıkan and Under-21 prospect Atilla Özmen - but Senegal defender Lamine Diatta, wingers Rodrigo Tello and Mehmet Yozgatlı, and French midfielder Edouard Cissé have also joined.
Challengers
All this leaves 15 other clubs with a gap to make up. Trabzonspor, the only team from outside Istanbul to have lifted the crown, were fourth last season, three points behind Galatasaray. They have brought in right-back Daouda Jabi and midfielders Serkan Balcı and Adnan Güngör, though their European campaign ended in the final round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup against FC Otelul Galati. Elsewhere, the top scorer from Turkey's 2005 UEFA European U17 Championship triumph, Tevfik Köse, has gone to Ankaraspor AŞ, while left-back Nikola Petković, who helped Serbia to this summer's U21 final in the Netherlands, has signed for Gençlerbirligi SK. The latter will be competing against their promoted nursery club Gençlerbirliği Oftaşspor.
