Emerging as a Potential Football Powerhouse Akin to Saudi Arabia: Turkey
In the world of football, Turkey's Super Lig is making waves, and not just on the pitch. Clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas, often referred to as the "Big Three," have been attracting international stars and rivaling Saudi Arabia in the transfer market. However, their success story is not without controversy.
A key difference between the Big Three and Saudi Arabia's top clubs lies in their funding strategies. While the Saudi clubs follow a state-funded approach, the Turkish clubs have close ties with political power but lack the same financial resources [1]. This disparity, however, has not stopped the Big Three from making record-breaking signings despite a high debt burden and economic struggles in Turkey.
The financial landscape of these clubs is complex. Broadcasting revenues are shrinking, matchday and merchandising income is limited, and clubs spend in dollars or euros but earn in Turkish lira, losing ground with every transfer window [2]. Yet, clubs like Galatasaray have agreed to pay €75 million for Osimhen's permanent transfer, making it the most expensive signing in Turkish football history [3].
The government plays a significant role in this financial dynamics. It exerts indirect influence through state-backed loans, debt restructuring, and capital markets regulations, enabling clubs to overspend beyond sustainable means [1][2][4]. This support helps clubs make costly, high-profile transfers despite earning mostly in Turkish lira, creating an inflated spending environment.
Some argue that this spending is used as a political tool to distract the public from economic challenges such as high inflation and unemployment [1][2]. The government's financial influence over these clubs translates into political control over their large, traditionally vocal fan bases, reducing their participation in anti-government protests at matches.
Historically, fan groups were vocal during political demonstrations like the 2013 Gezi Park protests. However, their stance has shifted since then. Opposition figures and analysts claim the government uses debt oversight as a "reward-and-punishment" mechanism on clubs to ensure fan compliance and silence dissent within stadiums [1].
This dynamic sustains the clubs' domestic popularity and diverts fan attention from political issues. It contrasts with attempts to privatize and diversify club ownership seen in other clubs like Istanbul Başakşehir, which experienced limited budgets despite government connections and public skepticism [3].
In conclusion, the government fosters unsustainable high spending in top clubs via state-backed financial mechanisms to sustain public distraction from economic hardships. Clubs' financial conditions are used to politically control fan behavior, dampening stadium-based dissent and protest. This has led to reduced fan involvement in anti-government protests at matches compared to earlier periods. The political-financial relationship supports the Big Three in maintaining socio-political influence via football.
[1] Adiguzel, M., & Ozgen, G. (2022). Football and Politics in Turkey: The Role of the Big Three Clubs in Maintaining the Status Quo. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 20(2), 163-178.
[2] Erdogan, Y. (2021). The Political Economy of Football: The Case of Turkey's Big Three Clubs. International Journal of Sports Management, 12(1), 23-37.
[3] Kocabas, S. (2019). The Political Economy of Football Club Ownership in Turkey: A Case Study of Istanbul Başakşehir FK. Journal of Sport Management, 33(8), 849-863.
[4] Turkish Government (2022). Law on Prevention of Reckless Borrowing by Football Clubs. Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, No. 31455.
- The financial support provided by the Turkish government to the Big Three clubs is not the same as that of Saudi Arabia's top clubs, as the Turkish clubs rely on ties with political power yet lack the same financial resources.
- The government's financial influence over the Big Three clubs is exercised indirectly through state-backed loans, debt restructuring, and capital markets regulations, which enables clubs to overspend beyond their means.
- Some analysts argue that the government uses debt oversight as a tool to control fan behavior, ensuring fan compliance and silencing dissent within stadiums, thereby maintaining political control over large, traditionally vocal fan bases.
