By Alexander Krassimirov
January 30 – Seven Fenerbahce fans were detained following their teams’ Spor Toto Super League game against Konyaspor on 27 January. More than a dozen fans were taken to the police office in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium after the game. After interviews, police detained seven of the fans, taking them to a nearby police station.
One of the members of the initial group taken to the police office, İlyas Bulcay, leader of the Fenerbahceliler Fan Association. “I was trying to avoid fan groups swearing and chanting political slogans but I was detained. All I did was ask why the police were detaining people,” said Bulcay.
According to Daily Hurriyet the fans were chanting political and anti-government slogans which led to their arrests.
Fenerbahçe games have increasingly become a platform for political chants this season. Supporters have criticised the government on the ongoing probe into criminal activity involving fan groups. Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19-year-old Gezi Park protester who was killed in Eskisehir, has become a rallying cry in their protests.
Last September Istanbul’s Organized Crime Department conducted an operation against alleged criminal syndicates in some football supporters’ groups.
72 members of the main football supporter groups, çArşı, GFB and Galatasaray’s ultrAslan, were detained. Simultaneous raids were conducted in İzmir, Mersin and Kocaeli. 27 detainees were later released following intervention by the public prosecutor. 62 fans appeared before the Istanbul Courthouse on September 30.
The head of Fenerbahçe’s leading supporter group, Genç Fenerbahçeliler (GFB) as well as GFB leader Sefa Kalya, were among those arrested. They were charged with establishing and running a criminal syndicate, intentional injury and solicitation to murder.
They are suspected of blackmailing their clubs with threats of violence at games that would cause the teams to receive fines or other penalties. The fans were accused of criminal acts that included armed threats, raiding venues and attacking security officials.
Besiktas had already been ordered to play four games behind closed doors after fans ran on to the field during a match against Galatasaray.
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