Tag: Galatasaray

  • Galatasaray fans provide a “Welcome Party” for Manchester United in Istanbul – YouTube

    Galatasaray fans provide a “Welcome Party” for Manchester United in Istanbul – YouTube

    Galatasaray fans provide a “Welcome Party” for Manchester United in Istanbul. The team dodged this by exiting through a VIP exit. Most of the chants were about Leeds United. This was the “cleanest” one.

    via Galatasaray fans provide a “Welcome Party” for Manchester United in Istanbul – YouTube.

  • Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan

    Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan

    Turkish-Football: ISTANBUL (Sept. 29, 2012) – AC Milan have been linked with Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim as a replacement for Massimiliano Allegri according to Turkish media sources.

    9 29 2012 7 16 33 AM 1717584

    The Serie A outfit have made a poor start to the new season, losing three out of their last five games.

    Terim previously managed The Rossoneri in 2001, his brief stay lasted five months.

    The Galatasaray manager is one of the most successful Turkish managers of all time. The only Turkish manager to have managed Serie A clubs Fiorentina, AC Milan.

    Terim was the first manager to have ever lead Turkey into an international footballing competition when the national team qualified for Euro 1996.

    Terim guided the Turkish national team to the semi-finals of Euro 2008. The experienced manager also guided Galatasaray to an unprecedented 4 back to back league titles from 1996-97 to 1999-00 and lifted the UEFA Cup in 1999-00, a feat yet to be matched in Turkey.

    Terim is currently in his third stint at Galatasaray having being reappointed as manager last summer. Terim won the Turkish Super League in his first season back and has is currently competing in the Champions League.

    Turkish-Football.com is an Official Media Partner of Boxscore World Sportswire.�

    via Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim linked with AC Milan.

  • Welcome to Hell

    Welcome to Hell

    September 19, 2012
    By Jon Carter

    One of the worst welcomes in football’s history was witnessed in November 1993 as Manchester United arrived in Istanbul to face Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Champions League for the first time. The Turkish fans, known for creating a hostile atmosphere, lived up to their billing and unfurled a banner proclaiming: “Welcome to Hell”. It had the desired effect, as a 0-0 draw saw United’s hopes of winning the trophy ended.

    In 1993, the Champions League was in its early stages. A rebrand from the famous European Cup saw Milan claim the first trophy under the new name and the second season saw English champions Manchester United qualify for the first time.

    PA PhotosManchester United get a rough welcome at the airport

    In the inaugural stages, only the champions of a European league were allowed into the competition and there were no byes to the group stage. Instead, all the teams had to play through the first and second rounds before making it to the two groups – the winners of which would contest the final.

    United, boasting the likes of Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson – but with only Ryan Giggs of the young stars who would come to prominence in the years ahead – were becoming a force to be reckoned with on the European stage. Easing past Hungarian side Kispest Honved thanks to the unusual goalscoring exploits of Steve Bruce in the first round, they were drawn to face Turkish giants Galatasaray in the second.

    The first leg proved to be something of a shock as Galatasaray pulled off a shock 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. United went into a two-goal lead in the first 13 minutes as ”the crowd sat back and waited for the exhibition”, in the words of Daily Express writer Steve Curry. But, soon, the Turks set about their opponents “as if they had been visiting the part-timers of Macclesfield” and wiped out the deficit, taking the lead and putting United’s 37-year long unbeaten home record in Europe under threat. However, Cantona, with nine minutes left, would force a late draw.

    The English papers were amazed. ‘Square bashing for Fergie’s ‘orrible lot’ read the headline from the Daily Express, which suggested that they had been given an earful from the Scottish boss. But the overriding feeling was that United would have to put in the performance of a lifetime if they were to overcome the three away goals and pick up a win in Turkey.

    But by the time the return leg rolled around, there was a palpable feeling of fear among the English side. Stirred up by media reports that overused the word ‘hostile’, there was a worry – albeit not among the poker-faced players or manager – that United would not be able to deal with the cauldron of Istanbul.

    Joe Lovejoy in The Independent wrote of the welcome: “The atmosphere was everything Istanbul had promised, United needing protection from a phalanx of riot shields to get on to and off the pitch. ‘Welcome to Hell’ proclaimed one huge banner; ‘RIP Manchester United’ another. Right both times. Flares, fire-crackers and the usual variety of non-combustible missiles rained down.”

    While Sir Alex Ferguson recently revealed that “our fans don’t need reminding about Galatasaray”, veteran Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs told The Independent: “I remember it vividly. It will always stick with me. I was 19 and, when we arrived at the airport, there were all the banners and fans. Thousands of fans screaming at you.

    “There were things being thrown at us when we were driving away on the coach. Outside the hotel their fans were chanting all night, making sure we didn’t get any sleep. People were phoning the hotel room. Prior to the game, the manager told us to go on the pitch and sample the atmosphere.

    “The fans had been in the ground for hours and hours. The atmosphere was buzzing 90 minutes before kick-off. We were stood in the middle of the pitch watching the fans chant. It was one stand to another.”

    Steve Curry, a journalist who was at that game, reflected on what it was like inside the ground that night for the neutrals.

    “Turkish sides have a reputation for creating hostility within their stadiums and this night was to be the most frightening of my 45-year career,” he said. “The intimidation started at the airport as the team arrived. The ground had been full two hours before the game and the noise reached a crescendo by the time the teams took to the pitch. Sir Alex Ferguson was to suggest the police were more frightening than the crowd. He should have been in the press box where we had rubbish and antagonism raining down on us.”

    The game itself was a relatively dull affair in the 90 minutes as a 0-0 draw proved enough to knock out United on away goals. United’s passing was described as “predictable when it needed to be inventive, inaccurate when it had to be precise”, and they were left to rely on the brilliance of Danish goalkeeper Schmeichel to twice keep out Hakan with fine reflex stops. However, as Lovejoy wrote: “All the drama came after the final whistle.”

    With United out, the combustible Eric Cantona ran up to the Swiss referee, Kurt Rothlisberger, and made an insulting gesture that met with an immediate flourish of the red card. With scuffles on all sides, the Frenchman and his captain, Bryan Robson, were involved in a clash with Turkish riot police that left Robson with a gashed hand; Robson, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister all had to restrain ‘King Eric’ before he brought criminal charges upon himself.

    PA PhotosEric Cantona is pulled away as tempers flare

    Ferguson revealed afterwards: “A policeman punched Cantona in the back – we have filmed evidence of that. Another one hit Robson with a shield and cut his hand [which left him in need of two stitches].”

    Cantona, handed a four-match ban by UEFA, would later claim to L’Equipe that: “I am certain referees have been bought in the European Cup and I ask myself whether Mr Rothlisberger had not also been bought.” But – regardless of any allegations of foul play, which were never proven – United’s first trip to Turkey proved too much to overcome.

    What happened next? United were out, but they met Galatasaray again the following year in the group stages. A 0-0 draw in a less eventful match in Istanbul was followed by a 4-0 hammering at Old Trafford that saw goals from Simon Davies, David Beckham, Roy Keane and an own goal from Bulent Akin to right the perceived wrongs of the previous year.

  • ‘Tougher’ Diana Taurasi back in WNBA after Turkish turmoil – USATODAY.com

    ‘Tougher’ Diana Taurasi back in WNBA after Turkish turmoil – USATODAY.com

    PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi says she is a tougher person for her experience with the doping authorities in Turkey and doesn’t worry that the situation there will affect her reputation.

    * Diana Taurasi called the period between learning about the positive drug test and being cleared “one of the most stressful times in my life.”

    By Eric Gay, AP

    taurasi fenerbahceye donmeyecek 2011 601521 1

    Diana Taurasi called the period between learning about the positive drug test and being cleared “one of the most stressful times in my life.”

    “The only thing I’m guilty of,” she said, “is putting a lot of hours in the gym, and I’ve been doing that since I was a little kid.”

    The two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2009 WNBA most valuable player and former college basketball player of the year spoke Monday at the Phoenix Mercury media day.

    Late last year, while playing professional basketball in Turkey, Taurasi was told by authorities there she had tested positive for the banned stimulant modafanil. In February, the Turkish basketball federation cleared her of wrongdoing after the lab that conducted the test retracted its report.

    “It toughens you up,” she said of the experience, “and life’s about going through stuff that is really hard. You can let it really wreck you and you can be mad at it, which I was for a while. But I finally got over it, had a really good group of people around me here in Phoenix, my family, my close friends, my teammates, the fans here in Phoenix. You really sometimes have to depend on those people to get you through tough times and they did. They got me through it.”

    Taurasi said she has no concerns about her reputation being sullied.

    “Because I know I never took it,” she said.

    via ‘Tougher’ Diana Taurasi back in WNBA after Turkish turmoil – USATODAY.com.