FANS

Where The World Revolves Around a Ball
Istanbul
Sancho Gallilei

Though common throughout the world and rampant in some
countries nowhere does the disease of soccer mania reach such deliriously feverish levels as here in Turkey. On the evening of any Galatasaray match one need only listen to Istanbul from one's window to deduce the scoring and outcome. The city screams with delight and the ceiling shakes from the leaping of the upstairs' neighbours: a goal for Galatasaray; the city groans in disbelief and the ceiling sinks under the weight of the neighbours' spirits: a goal against Galatasaray; car horns beep for two hours: they won the match; all night: they won the championship, and so forth.

When a major match approaches the names of teams and players are reverently called up as if they were mythic heroes, or great martyrs. One hears them in the passing conversations along the streets of Istanbul, in cafes, tea gardens, bars, in buses, on the ferry boats that tug too and fro across the Bosphorous, everywhere the fervour is grows.

My friend Özgür says "In Turkey we sleep with football, we wake up with it. It doesn't seem to be like that in other countries where there are other important sports because here we have only football." Elaborating further on the national fanaticism he continues; "We're not professionals; football is part of our lives, we play from the heart, and sometimes this leads to defeat. If we allow a goal to pass we're broken and demoralised but if we score we begin to fly. In Turkey there's often many problems in life and football is a way to escape. When your team win a match it doesn't matter if inflation that day is 100%."

Though supporters may be filled with a deep seated love of their varying teams the rivalry between fans of opposing teams is almost always good humoured and the best of friends can have different allegiances.

When the national team plays affiliations to any local Club take a back seat as every Turk begins to glow with national pride. For a brief period even the Montague and Capulet households of Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray supporters can lay aside their bitter feuding rivalry and unite in support of their national team as they contemplate a challenge. Their flags of blue and yellow, and red and yellow, melt into a sea of red, and there on the surface shimmers the white light of the crescent moon and star.

In the run up to a national match I asked Kaya Bey, a friendly broad shouldered man with the smiling face, who would win. He looked at me in disbelief his smile breaking into a deep and hearty laugh. "Turkey, of course!" he said with utter conviction. "And why?" "Because my heart wants it!" he explained quite plainly laying his palm upon his breast. As a Fenerbahçe supporter he proudly informed me that they make up the defense of the Turkish team, Galatasaray supplying mid-field and strikers, and as for the other teams' contributions, another laugh swells up from the pit of his stomach "AAAAHAAAHAAA!".

Harun, a young architectural student, explains that the bi-partisan composition is a bit of a problem and would prefer to see a greater mix of players from the regional groups. "But if a player from one of those teams starts to play well, then he moves to Galatasaray or Fenerbahçe." When it comes to the national team he says "nobody is thinking that the goalkeeper is from Fenerbahçe, he's Turkish."

Many young men will proudly admit weeping openly after nail-biting victories To savour the true fanatical atmosphere of Turkish supporters one only needs to stop by at a Meyhane (Tavern) during a match where the men crowded within sit with an ample supply of Efes larger before them to prevent dehydration in the arduous hours and minutes of support as they stare through the smoke-filled air toward a screen high up in the corner. The waiters move like crabs down along the tables so that they can keep an eye on the action. Make sure however, that you are not a supporter of the rival team of those within for in the heat of the moment anything can happen.

Abuse begins to fly if things are not go according to the fans liking. Failure to score is derided and hands fly up toward the screen as if they might slap the players for their misfortune. Özgür told me that Turkish fans fanaticism for their team fuels hatred of a poor performance. The most loyal fans will damn their players' for failure. "That Hakan Unsal has a crooked leg!" "Abdullah, you useless son of a donkey!" Cries rise in the air such as "Allah Askina!" (For the love of God!) or "Allah Korusun!" (God protect us!). If events on the field proceed without success resignation may set in as everyone subconsciously reaches for a cigarette and thin streams of smoke float upwards before the men's scowling faces, gathering like a cloud of doom over all present.

When things go their way the fans are likewise lavishing in their praise and if blessed with a score they gasp with relief, applaud, cheer, and shout joyously leaping to their feet. At half time voices grow into a cacophony around each table debating the first half, and the possible outcome that lies ahead.

In the stadium these sensations are multiplied a thousand times to give one an overwhelming feeling of awe at the Turkish supporters. They are like a chain of iron around the stadium. In an endless series of chants and anthems Turkish fans give full voice to their undying support as flags fly wildly above their heads. Often the loud speaker system will illicitly lend it's backing to the local or national team and their supporters screaming "Come on, all together, all together." When the goals are under attack the fans abandon their chanting to produce a shrill screeching whistle, eerier than the soundtrack to Psycho.

After major victories traffic is brought to a standstill for hours as ecstatically jubilant fans take to the streets singing, chanting and waving flags, rising from car windows, oozing out of vans, leaping and jumping in the back of pick-up trucks and lorries, and those without a vehicle run between them. Occasionally the sound of celebratory gunfire rings out as the "Football Magondas" take to the streets in certain areas. Nothing however, can detract from the magical mardi-gras of delight which goes with these reveling moments for Turkish Fans full of Turkish delight.

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