turkey league News
Galatasaray clinch 17th Turkish title
Last season, Galatasaray won the Turkish league title for the 17th time with a 2-0 win against Genclerbirligi, wresting the championship back from their Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce. The victory in the final match of the 2007/08 campaign lifted Galatasaray to 79 points, six ahead of second-placed Fenerbahce, who lost 2-0 at Trabzonspor.
Galatasaray started season with German coach Karl-Heinz Feldkamp, who resigned at the start of April, citing differences with the management. They were two points behind Fenerbahce when Cevat Guler took over in a caretaker role. However, they accomplished five victories in last five games of season and clinched the the Turkish league crow.
Turkish champions Galatasaray have appointed former Bayer Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe as their new coach for the 2008/09 season. The 42-year-old Skibbe, a former deputy coach for Germany, was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen in May after the Bundesliga side finished seventh in the league and failed to qualify for the UEFA Cup. This summer Galatasaray have also made the notable signing of Australian forward Harry Kewell after an injury-plagued five years at Liverpool.
- Champions: Galatasaray (Champions League 3rd qualifying round)
- Runners-up: Fenerbahce (Champions League 2nd qualifying round)
- Third place: Besiktas (UEFA Cup)
- Turkish Cup winners: Kayserispor (UEFA Cup)
- Fourth place: Sivasspor (Intertoto Cup)
- Relegated: Manisaspor, Rizespor, Kasimpasaspor
- Promoted: Kocaelispor, Antalyaspor, Eskisehirspor.
Last season was a disappointment for Sivasspor who were pipped for a place in the UEFA Cup by Besiktas because of Fenerbahce's defeat. All three teams have 73 points but Sivasspor came fourth by having the worst average in matches between the three sides. Kayserispor take the other place in the UEFA Cup because of their Turkish Cup victory over Genclerbirligi.
| teams | titles | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahce | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Galatasaray | 17 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Besiktas | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Trabzonspor | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Genclerbirligi | - | 10 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| Gaziantepspor | - | 4 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Denizlispor | - | 5 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 7 |
| Konyaspor | - | 11 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 14 |
| Ankaragucu | - | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 8 |
| Kayserispor | - | - | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Ankaraspor | - | - | 7 | 14 | 8 | 10 |
| Sivasspor | - | - | - | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Bursaspor | - | 16 | - | - | 10 | 13 |
| Hacettepe | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| Belediyespor | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Antalyaspor | - | - | - | - | 16 | - |
| Kocaelispor | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Eskisehirspor | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The table shows the overall number of titles for each club in Turkish Superleague since 1959 and their league standings in the last five seasons.
Fenerbahce put faith in EURO 2008 winners
Coach Luis Aragones has signed a two-year contract to manage Turkish club Fenerbahce, less than a week after leading Spain to victory at EURO 2008. The 69-year-old replaces Brazilian Zico, who led Fenerbahce to last season's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals but failed to reach a new deal after losing out to city rivals Galatasaray in the domestic title race.
Aragones's experience includes spells at Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, Espanyol, Betis, Oviedo and Mallorca. He had been in charge of Spain since the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup.
This page is introduction to the 2008/2009 Turkish Super League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > Turkey page.
Fenerbahce have also signed Spain EURO 2008 winning striker Daniel Guiza from Mallorca on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15m, while the midfield will be boosted by the arrival of Emre Belozoglu from Newcastle United. Guiza was the top scorer in the Primera Division last season with 27 goals. The 27-year-old also scored twice during Spain's triumphant campaign in which he was used mainly as a substitute.
Guiza has become Aragones' first recruit since taking charge at Fenerbahce after he led his country to their first major trophy in 44 years. Aragonas has also suffered a blow on his first full day as Fenerbahce coach with the news that Brazilian midfielder Deivid is unlikely to play again until the new year after suffering a broken ankle.
| # | team | points | g.dif. | win-draw-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galatasaray | 79 | 41 | 24-7-3 (34) |
| 2 | Fenerbahce | 73 | 35 | 22-7-5 (34) |
| 3 | Besiktas | 73 | 26 | 23-4-7 (34) |
| 4 | Sivaspor | 73 | 28 | 23-4-7 (34) |
| 5 | Kayserispor | 55 | 19 | 15-10-9 (34) |
| 6 | Trabzonspor | 49 | 5 | 14-7-13 (34) |
| 7 | Denizlispor | 45 | 0 | 13-6-15 (34) |
| 8 | Ankaragucu | 43 | -8 | 11-10-13 (34) |
| 9 | Gaziantepspor | 43 | -9 | 11-10-13 (34) |
| 10 | Ankaraspor | 41 | -3 | 10-11-13 (34) |
| 11 | Hacettepe | 40 | -6 | 10-10-14 (34) |
| 12 | Belediyespor | 38 | -3 | 10-8-16 (34) |
| 13 | Bursaspor | 38 | -9 | 9-11-14 (34) |
| 14 | Konyaspor | 36 | -27 | 10-6-18 (34) |
| 15 | Genclerbirligi | 35 | -7 | 9-8-17 (34) |
| 16 | Manisaspor | 29 | -20 | 7-8-19 (34) |
| 17 | Rizespor | 29 | -32 | 7-8-19 (34) |
| 18 | Kasimpasaspor | 29 | -30 | 8-5-21 (34) |
The table displays Turkish Super League standings for season 2007/2008.
Fenerbahce favored again
Turkey's top football league has only had four different champions in its 50-year history. The Istanbul teams, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Galatasaray have dominated the Turkish league since its inception and it will again be hard to look beyond Istanbul for this season's champions. Trabzonspor is the only team from outside Istanbul to have lifted the crown, but the last time was in 1984, 23 years ago!
| team | odds | team | odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahce | 1.8 | Galatasaray | 2.6 |
| Besiktas | 7 | Trabzonspor | 21 |
| Sivasspor | 50 | Ankaragucu | 100 |
| Ankaraspor | 100 | Belediyespor | 100 |
| Bursaspor | 100 | Eskisehirspor | 100 |
| Gaziantepspor | 100 | Hacettepe | 100 |
| Kocaelispor | 100 | Konyaspor | 100 |
| Antalyaspor | 100 | Kayserispor | 200 |
| Denizlispor | 250 | Genclerbirligi | 250 |
The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2008/09 Turkish football league.
Oftas changes name to Hacettepe
Genclerbirligi Oftas renamed itself to Hacettepe earlier this summer. The club opted to change its name and colors to underline that it is distinct from Genclerbirligi. Oftas was bought by Genclerbirligi Chairman Ilhan Cavcav and used as a reserve team while playing in the Turkish second division. After the team's promotion to the Turkish top flight, Cavcav stepped down from his duties at Oftas. They played 2007/08 season under the same name but after the growing speculations, the club's name has been changed to Hacettepe.
Turkish Cup finals in last five years
2004 Trabzonspor - Genclerbirligi 4:0
2005 Galatasaray - Fenerbahce 5:1
2006 Besiktas - Fenerbahce 3:2 (after extra time)
2007 Besiktas - Erciyesspor 1:0 (after extra time)
2008 Kayserispor - Genclerbirligi 11:10 (on penalties, 0:0 after extra time)