Fate of Diyarbakırspor causes concern in politics

Hooliganism witnessed during a Diyarbakırspor soccer game last Sunday and a week before has seriously threatened the southeastern team. The İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Diyarbakırspor week 25 match at İstanbul's Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium on Sunday was called off in the 87th minute after a group of Diyarbakırspor fans threw objects onto the field and others invaded the pitch. On Tuesday, Diyarbakırspor was declared the loser of the Diyarbakırspor-Bursaspor game in week 24. That game had also been called off due to the hooliganism of Diyarbakırspor fans. If the Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) grants a 3-0 win to the İBB, this would mean automatic relegation for Diyarbakırspor as the TFF rulebook states if a team is declared a loser by default twice in a season that team must be demoted.

As the fans of Diyarbakırspor express growing frustration, saying they feel they have been treated unjustly, politicians have also started to voice concern. “This is no longer an ordinary incident. Although everybody has their own identity, the fundamental responsibility is to make sure that soccer games are not turned into ethnic fights. I really hope that we won’t have to live through more worrying events. We have to put a stop to this together,” said main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal on Tuesday.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli agreed, stating that Diyarbakırspor remaining in the Super League, Turkey’s first division, is very important for the country’s territorial integrity and mutual love and respect. “Diyarbakır residents should support their own team and stop separatist elements from leaking into sports.”

Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker, also in comments made on Tuesday, said he believed there might be some circles attempting to hurt Diyarbakırspor. “It is not right to punish an entire team, an entire city because of some provocateurs.”

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Abdülkadir Aksu said Diyarbakırspor is the only team from the region that plays in the Super League. “If Diyarbakırspor is relegated, there will be no other teams from the region in the league. The incidents on the stands should be thoroughly investigated without any preconceptions.”

MHP Deputy Secretary-General Recai Yıldırım also made a statement, noting that he hoped that the team would not be demoted. “If there is anyone who would like to create problems to result in the team being relegated, if there is anybody who would benefit from this, they should be discovered,” he said.

AK Party Trabzon deputy Mustafa Cumhur said: “The incidents at the Diyarbakır game are a result of provocation by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK]. The terrorist organization is losing power. They are trying to make up for what they are losing through provocations like these. Those who will make this decision should definitely consider the political repercussions of their decision.”

Pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş said: “It is important that Diyarbakırspor stays in the league. The ongoing discussions are worthy of concern. Sports should serve peace and social consensus. The federation should not make the situation worse for Diyarbakır, which is where it stands now due to a number of injustices it has suffered until now.”

Two games not the same

Meanwhile, the TFF has already given a signal concerning its likely decision regarding the Diyarbakırspor-İBB game. TFF Deputy Chairman Lütfi Arıboğan said: “We will meet to discuss that on Friday. Our legal consultants are working. We will also study evidence concerning [İstanbul] Governor Muammer Güler. There were serious incidents in both games. There were problems in both, but they are different.” In reply to a question on when Diyarbakırspor would be meeting its next opponent, Antalyaspor, Arıboğan said the date will be fixed in the next few days, implying that Diyarbakırspor will remain in the league.