When it comes to football which team is simply the best
It's Galatasaray and then there is the rest
Every year they're better than the year they went before
And now the boys from Istanbul are really gonna score

Gassay, Gassay we are the champions

Re,re,re ra...

When you play in Istanbul the only sport you'll get
Is picking up the football from deep inside your net
Watch out everybody, we're gonna win the cup
'Cause here at Galatasaray the only way is up

Gassay, Gassay we are the champions

Re,re.....

Impressions of a guest in Ali Sami Yen

"Our Man in Istanbul"
by Timothy Connor

Ed: Timothy Connor earns his keep as an environmental engineer in Albuquerque. He supports DC United.

Stories abound about Turkish soccer and its fans. For many years Turkey has been the slouch of European soccer. That all changed about three years ago when Galatasaray eliminated Manchester United from European Cup competition. Since then, Turkish soccer has gained some respect, but its fans still garner hooligan headlines for their passionate outbreaks.

As in all European soccer leagues, club teams from the same cities are bitter rivals—Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, Roma and Lazio, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Even in this context, the Istanbul clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce (pronounced Fener-bach-e) are especially bitter rivals. Each share claim to being Turkey’s greatest club—Galatasaray, the European success, Fenerbahce, the perennial league champion. Even though the clubs are within forty minute’s drive, they are separated by an isthmus and on different continents. Galatasaray is the European club founded by an all French speaking high school. Fenerbahce is the Asian rival with a very working class following. Each shares the color yellow, each shares the same city, and often they exchange the best Turkish players. All of this creates the passion… Brother against brother.

This spring, I visited some friends in Istanbul and tops on our list of sites was Ali Sami Yen stadium in European Istanbul. Galatasaray, with Brad Friedel in goal, was hosting Fenerbahce. At the time, Fenerbahce were in a close battle for first place with Besiktas (pronounced Beshiktash); Galatasaray, on the other hand, were mathematically eliminated from the title. However, the passion was so great and the hatred so bitter that the Galatasaray Cimbom (pronounced jimbom) supporters could have cared less. The over-riding theme in the Galatasaray camp was that Fener should not win the league, anybody but Fenerbahce. The stadium seats 30,000 spectators, in England it would seat only 23,000. There were 30,000+ inside on this Friday night.

The coal smog and the isthmus fog filled the air like a Dickens setting. The stadium lights were powerful, but they simply reflected off the air to make the stadium appear as though flares were being constantly lit. Perhaps it was freezing, maybe a degree more. The crowd began arriving five hours early, the stadium was completely full before the players ever came out for warm ups. The chants and songs from the Galatasaray supporters (20,000+ strong) were in full voice hours prior to kick off: Ib-ne-Canaria…Ala-mas-a-sham-pion… Ib-ne-Can-aria…Ala-mas-a-sham-pion…(#$*&% Canaries, you will never be champions). Ly-ly-ly-ly-LY-LY..Ga-la-ta-SA-RAY. Hey-Hey-Hey, Rah-Rah-Rah.. Galatasaray-Galatasaray Cim-bom-bom. And the rest were a combination of put downs and curses. Each was louder than the previous, until the loudspeaker started with the canned music. To this the fans danced and clapped like they were the ones playing the music.

The player introductions commenced and a peace banner was displayed by Fenerbahce players. The game itself was surprisingly skillful, with few cynical plays. Galatasaray prevailed two-nil on few chances. Neither team ever looked truly dangerous. Friedel was lucky to ever touch the ball. He had one or two very nice saves. Other than that, he saw the worst trouble by way of a pathetic back pass from his sweeper. On the whole, he was rarely tested, I recall that he looked very calm and held the shutout. The Galatasaray fans around me were very complementary of him and treated me as an honored guest…the American, like Friedel.

I do not recall either Galatasaray goal. All I recall is that we change seats and rows every time the ball even came close to the net. We would have run several rows forward after the goals, but a balcony was in the way. Instead we jumped up and down, shoved and hugged each other, and otherwise went totally berserk.

When all was done, the crowd and I rushed out of the stadium in joy, singing our way into the tunnels. Then something went very wrong. There were only three or four skinny exits for our section of about 5,000 people, far too few exits, and each down a flight of stairs. Going down the stairs my feet never touched the ground, as if I was in a river with a life vest. Somehow, I flowed over to the left; my exit was to the right. For nearly a minute, I was trapped against a cage and luckily the force of people around me shoved me right and out the exit. No major injuries occurred to my friends or me. We heard no screams; the deathly silence was very scary. The whole tunnel went from boisterous to alarmed, then to silent for three or four minutes. Then I heard a hushed sigh of relief as we emerged. Back to the city and the cheering and worrying about how I would catch my bus to Izmir. Oh, and one very lucid thought came that I must pass on: NEVER LEAVE A EUROPEAN FOOTBALL MATCH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE.

Link to the original of this fantastic story

• On the air: Galatasaray 5 - Neuchatel Xamax 0 (473 Kb WAV file)
• On the air: Galatasaray 1 - S Monaco 1 (201 Kb WAV file)
• On the air: Manchester United 3 - Galatasaray 3 (642 Kb WAV file)
• Hymne for the Galatasaray Sports Club (366 Kb AU file)
• Galatasaray Rap (264 Kb AU file)
• Championship March of Galatasaray (511 Kb WAV file)

From the Galatasaray General Secretary about the project:

We have made our application to take the usufruct of the Ali Sami Yen Stadium and if accepted, we are going to demolish it in May 1997 and finish the new one in August 1998. A total of $80 million investment is planned. A complex that includes 200 suits and lodges will be built. Furthermore, a shopping center and a car park will be built under the stadium. On the 1/2 acre land next to the stadium a center that will include the club itself, a supermarket, and 70 100 m2 flats will be built. The Galatasaray Island will be dealt with also. Along with a marina that will hold 800 yachts that will be built around the island, a hotel with 30 rooms will also be built on the island. The investments planned to be done are worth $4 million. Also, shares will be sold to people. Another two projects are the fan club and a monthly produced Galatasaray Dergisi. When all these planned investments are done, the club will have an approximate income of $25 million per year after the year 2001.

Credits to Emre Izgi, [email protected]