After Galatasaray’s 2-1 victory over Besiktas in the 10th week of the Super League, events that unfolded overshadowed the 90 minutes of football. The post-match social media exchanges, statements from executives, and the incident involving A Spor reporter Emre Kaplan allegedly being assaulted by Besiktas President Hasan Arat’s assistant led to a new response.
Galatasaray Club responded to Besiktas’ statement on their official website. The statement from the yellow-reds, titled “This is our response to the so-called gentlemen,” included the following:
“All manipulations and actions from our opponent after last night’s match have compelled us to issue this statement. Sadly, their attempt to divert attention from last night’s defeat by constantly escalating tensions is clear to see. Those who begin every statement claiming to be gentlemen, only to curse our club in every environment they find themselves in, and those who applaud such behavior, have shown the entire sports community the reality of their so-called ‘gentlemanly’ conduct.
The ones creating this atmosphere, where a member of the press was assaulted in our stadium, are those same individuals who applaud and curse. We leave it to the sports community to judge the actions of our ‘well-mannered’ rival, who should have unequivocally condemned this violence, yet instead seeks to cover it up and defend the attacker.”
We remember these arrogant words and this hypocrisy from past seasons. We are no longer surprised that our rival’s statements now echo the same language as their “sponsor brothers.” Those who only seek justice for themselves have found a new partner on the playground. It should be known that this ugly alliance they have built will eventually crumble, and one day, these “sponsor brothers” will understand that truth, not money, will prevail. We will bring them down from the swings they’re riding on, one by one. Hopefully, they will realize the truth on that day and feel a bit of shame for their immature statements about “putting Galatasaray in its place.”
The numbers are clear; the statistics speak for themselves. A look at these figures is enough to see who dominates the statistics in the Super League and who is still cut down on the field. Today, Galatasaray, with its squad quality and style of play, is praised by the entire sports community, both neutral and partisan. We invite them to face this reality instead of launching attacks here and there just to look good to their fans.
Despite all these provocations, we ask our fans to remain calm and not fall into this ugly game. Our club, in the face of these arrogance-filled statements, hidden alliances, and baseless accusations, will continue as always to stay on the field and win there. This is a public announcement.
