Football in Turkey Vol 2, Müge Demir, Editör, Global Edit, Chisinau, ss.101-124, 2018
Attracting millions of people, football has consolidated its position in the society, resulting in
getting closer to the politics more than ever. When examined from a historical perspective,
football's power to impress the masses has made it attractive for political actors. Turning into
a sort of ideological instrument of the dominant powers, football has also enabled the
opponents to make propaganda over tribunes. Football, as a sports branch, and the fanaticism
notion have gained importance in the current world order where the politics has lost its effect
to a certain degree in the social sphere and individualism has become significant. Also, the
green fields has become both a place where the system's opponents lift up their voice and a
sort of instrument of the new social actions. Today, the fact that the tribunes have turned into
a place where the system's opponents or discontents express their anger, demands, and feel of
insurgence is quite important regarding setting forth the relationship between football and
politics.
This study examines the relationship between football and politics with a discourse analysis
of the most frequently used slogans by the fans in the tribunes of Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe,
and Beşiktaş, the three big football clubs of Istanbul and the locomotive of the Turkish
football for more than 100 years.