Ultraslan
Encyclopedia
| ultrAslan | |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Club | Galatasaray Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,... |
| President | Alpaslan Dikmen |
| Nicknames | uA |
| Website | www.ultraslan.com |
ultrAslan is an ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
group who support Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
football club Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
. They were named as "ultrAslan" in 2001 but their history goes way back. They have branches both in Turkey and abroad. Since its formation, ultrAslan has endured some criticism from the Turkish media, who often caricature them as hooligans
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
.
Background and creation
The symbol of Galatasaray is a lionLion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and in 1995, a supporters group, Aslanlar (the Lions), was founded. The most active members lived in Kadıköy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
, a district in the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n side of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Their main banner was Kadiköylü Aslanlar (The Lions of Kadiköy).
However, by 1999, no main group existed and the kapalı (covered) stands of Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Ali Sami Yen Stadium was the home of the football club Galatasaray SK in Istanbul, Turkey, from 1964 to 2010. It is named after the founder of the club, Ali Sami Yen...
, where the most fanatic fans were, was made of a number of small groups. After Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, beating English club, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 2000
2000 UEFA Cup Final
The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match contested between Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken in Copenhagen...
, some fans decided to form a more organized group. The smaller groups were then unified to form one large group, choosing the name "ultrAslan", which means Ultras Lions in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
. The goal of the group was to be an independent supporters association which would unite all Galatasaray fans and support the club in each of its sports branches, in all venues.
Unlike some other Ultras groups, ultrAslan, are apolitical
Apolitical
The state or quality of being apolitical can be the apathy and/or the antipathy towards all political affiliations. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased position in regard to political matters.-References:...
. Their symbol remains a lion, which was specially designed for them, and their name is always written with the same font on their banners. ultrAslan has no official friendship with other Ultras groups.
ultrAslan then began to create further sections of the group. ultrAslan-ÜNI was launched for all Galatasaray fan groups in Turkish universities. ultrAslan-BH the youth section of the group, mostly made up of college students, was also established. The old stand leaders, however, feared that ultrAslan would control the Kapali stand in their place, and some problems began. Finally, on 6 May 2002, when Galatasaray played at Fenerbahçe's Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium
Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is a football stadium in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, and is the home venue of Fenerbahçe S.K.. It was inaugurated in 1908 and renovated between 1999 and 2006...
, the stands leader, Sebahattin Şahin, known as "Sebo", appeared wearing an ultrAslan scarf. New sections such as Ölümüne ("Until we die"), Sultans, and Yürüyedur ("Keep Walking") also appeared at this time.
The ultrAslan-Europe section was created for Turks living in Europe, and they made their first appearance at a UEFA Champions League match at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 20 February 2002. ultrAslan-Europe has sub-divisions in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Also, in 2002, the ultrAslan banner was present for Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
games during the World Cup in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
Özhan Canaydın
Özhan Canaydin
Özhan Canaydın was a businessman, basketballer and former chairman of the Turkish sports club Galatasaray.-Basketball career:...
was elected chairman of Galatasaray, with the goal of promoting "fair play" in Turkish football
Football in Turkey
Association football is a national sport in Turkey, tracing its roots back to the Ottoman Empire. The first matches were played in Selanik, now known as Thessaloníki, in 1875. The sport was brought over by some lovely English people living in the area. The Turkish football league system currently...
. However, he made several decisions against fans' wishes, including an attempt to ban fans from attending away derby matches
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
. When Galatasaray played FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
on 24 September 2002 in a Champions League group match, some ultrAslan fans threw dozens of lit flares onto the pitch, so the club would receive a fine from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
in order to punish Canaydın. Several days later, in a league match against İstanbulspor, ultrAslan decided to leave the kapalı stand for the Eski Açık stand behind one goal and turned the their backs to the pitch to protest against the board. At the end of the game, there were violent incidents between ultrAslan members and the police.
On 6 November 2002, Galatasaray played Fenerbahçe at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and there was fighting between the fans of both sides. At halftime, Galatasaray fans were removed from the stadium by the police. Some were arrested, and many of ultrAslan's most active members received stadiums bans. The Galatasaray board continued its stance against ultrAslan. After pressure from the board, the Genç Galatasaraylılar Derneği organization was closed and only the name ultrAslan remained. Because of these conditions, a number of ultrAslan leaders left the group, resulting in disorganization and a lack of funds. ultrAslan sections appeared in other Turkish cities, with their own banners, without any centralized control.
Toward the end of 2002, Yürüyedur, a 25-member group of Galatasaray fans, which started as a section of ultrAslan, was slowly growing apart from ultrAslan. They had their own products, their own website, they organized tifos at matches against Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
. ultrAslan though was not organizing much, due to the absence of the association and a lack of funds and motivated people. The old stand leaders were embarrassed about Yürüyedür's growing popularity in the stands. They prevented them from bringing their banners to the stadium, unless they clearly stated their relation to ultrAslan. At the same time, a new group, Karşı, composed of fans from the Anatolian side of Istanbul, joined ultrAslan.
In April 2003, Galatasaray obtained the right to sell products carrying the ultrAslan logo in its stores, and ultrAslan became a registered trademark. The result of this was that anyone could buy ultrAslan products. Some criticized the decision, arguing that ultrAslan woud lose its independence. Others thoug approved of it, saying it could earn money for the club. However, at the end of 2006, Galatasaray announced that they giving back the ultrAslan brand to the group.
In the 2003–04 season, Galatasaray played home matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. ultrAslan used the main stand, also called Kapali. ultrAslan continued their action against Özhan Canaydın, this time for having left the Ali Sami Yen Stadium and because of the teams poor results. In August 2004, Galatasaray played in the Champions World Series tournament, against FC Porto at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. An ultrAslan-USA banner was shown and this group also takes part each year in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Turkish day parade.
For the 2004-05 season, Galatasaray returned to the Ali Sami Yen Stadium and celebrated its centenary. ultrAslan suspended their protest against the board in a show of unity, and called Özhan Canaydın to the stands, calling him "Great President" for the first league match against Konyaspor
Konyaspor
Konyaspor is a professional Turkish football club based in Konya. Konyaspor currently play in the Süper Lig. The club was founded in 1922 but then reformed in 1981. The club colours are green and white and they play their home games at Konya Atatürk Stadium....
. After several fights between Yürüyedur and the old stand leaders at the beginning of the season during the Akçaabat Sebatspor
Akçaabat Sebatspor
Akçaabat Sebatspor, also known as A. Sebatspor is a Turkish football club located in the Akçaabat district of Trabzon, Turkey. They play their home games in the Akçaabat Fatih Stadyumu. The club was founded in 1923.-History:...
and Malatyaspor
Malatyaspor
Malatya SK is a Turkish sports club based in Malatya, mainly concentrated on football. Malatyaspor are currently playing in the TFF Third League. Previously their colors were yellow and black . They played in First League for 11 seasons. They are the first and only team located in Eastern Anatolia...
games, mainly about the possibility of former player Fatih Akyel
Fatih Akyel
Fatih Akyel is a Turkish international footballer. He played as a defender for clubs such as Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe during his 15-year career...
's return, Yürüyedur left the stands for good. However, some fans criticized the old leaders saying that they act in their own interests, and claiming that they earn money from selling tickets, which they receive free, on the black market. Interviewed about this issue on television, ultrAslan leader Alpaslan Dikmen denied any problem existed and claimed that Yürüyedur had only ever been a banner in the stadium and had never been a fan group. At the end of the season, internal problems appeared in ultrAslan in Turkey, after old stand leaders shouted against Galatasaray coach Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi is a former Romanian footballer. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time...
, and threatened fellow fans who disagreed. Hagi eventually resigned.
In 2005, a German branch of ultrAslan-Europe was opened in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
. On 8 June, the new ultrAslan-Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
branch displayed their banner at a 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
group two qualifying match
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 2
The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 2 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Albania, Denmark, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Ukraine....
between Kazakshtan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
and Turkey.
In 2005–06, ultrAslan renewed its protests against the Galatasaray administration, criticizing the board for what they claimed were lies about the construction of a new stadium, the controversial departure of Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry is a French international footballer who currently plays for German club Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He primarily plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and is known for "pace, energy, skill and precise passing." Ribéry is described as a player who is "fast, tricky and...
, the use of Galatasaray's island, the transfers of new players, their responsibility in Gheorghe Hagi's departure and what ultraSlan claimed was their general incapacity to manage the club efficiently and profitably. They chose, however, not to be violent. They showed banners at the first league game against Konyaspor, and shook white handkerchief
Handkerchief
A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
s as a protest at the next home game against Malatyaspor.
After Galatasaray's shock elimination by Norwegian club Tromsø IL in the first round of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, fans shouted "Board, resign". However, some criticized the ultrAslan leaders for limiting their protests against the board because of their obedience to the old stand leaders, who are financially assisted by the board. Meanwhile, ultrAslan started to organize tifos again. Two of their most active sections, Sultans and Karşı, organized hand-made tifos for matches against Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş. ultrAslan tried more and more to create their tifos and banners by hand, instead of paying for industrial fabrication. The group celebrated its fifth anniversary on 17 February 2006, with a party in a nightclub in Istanbul.
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
's documentary The Real Football Factories International
The Real Football Factories International
The Real Football Factories International is a documentary style program about football hooliganism across the world. The Real Football Factories was the first series, where presenter and actor Danny Dyer travelled the UK, meeting some of the more notorious football firms. In this spin-off series,...
. After provoking declarations from Fenerbahçe board member Ali Koç, of the Koç family
Koç family
The Koç family is a Turkish dynasty of business people founded by Vehbi Koç, one of the wealthiest self-made people in Turkey. His grandsons, the third generation of the Koç family, today run Turkey’s largest and prestigious group of companies....
, ultrAslan launched a campaign to boycott Koç
Koç Holding
Koç Holding A.Ş. is the top industrial conglomeratein Turkey. The Koç family, one of Turkey's wealthiest families, controls the company with its headquarter in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul...
products, using a banner at a match against Kayserispor
Kayserispor
Kayserispor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Kayseri. Formed in 1966, Kayserispor are nicknamed Anadolu Yıldızı . The club colours are red and yellow, and the club play their home matches at Kadir Has Stadium.The club have won one Türkiye Kupası, in 2008...
in the Turkish Cup, with a tifo calling for a boycott.
The group also continued their protests against the board, with several banners during the season. These protests reached a peak on 19 May 2007, as Galatasaray hosted Fenerbahçe. ultrAslan fought with the police, and threw dozens of flares and hundreds of bottles on the pitch during the game. The Turkish Football Federation made Galatasaray play their first five games of the 2007–08 season behind closed doors.