Fenerbahçe S.K. (football)

Early years 1907–1959

Fenerbahçe was founded in 1907 in Kadıköy, Istanbul, by local men Ziya Songülen, Ayetullah Bey, and Necip Okaner. This group of men founded the club secretly in order to keep a low profile and not get into any trouble with the strict Ottoman rule, so strict that the Sultan Abdul Hamid II forbade the Turkish youth to set up a club or engage in the game of football played by the English families that was watched in envy. The three men came together and concluded that Kadıköy was in desperate need of its own football club, where locals would get a chance to practise the game of football. Ziya Songülen was elected the first president of the club, Ayetullah Bey became the first general secretary and Necip Okaner was given the post of general captain.^[8] The lighthouse situated on the Fenerbahçe cape was a big influence on the design of the club's first crest, which sported the yellow and white colors of daffodils around the lighthouse. The kits were also designed with yellow and white stripes.^[8] The crest of the club was changed in 1910 when Hikmet Topuzer redesigned the badge after Ziya Songülen had changed the colors to yellow and navy, still seen today. Fenerbahçe's activities were kept in secrecy until a legislation reform in 1908, when, under a new law, all football clubs had to register to exist legally.^[8]

The founding line-up included Ziya Songülen, Ayetullah Bey, Necip Okaner, Galip Kulaksızoğlu, Hassan Sami Kocamemi, Asaf Beşpınar, Enver Yetiker, Şevkati Hulusi Bey, Fuat Hüsnü Kayacan, Hamit Hüsnü Kayacan, and Nasuhi Baydar.^[9]

Struggling with financial difficulties, Fenerbahçe joined the Istanbul Football League in 1909, finishing fifth in their first year. Fenerbahçe won the 1911–12 season of the Istanbul Football League marking this championship as the first success in their long history. Mustafa Elkatipzade introduced other sports to the club realizing that football should not be the only sport being practised; it is due to his efforts that Fenerbahçe Sports Club was born.^[10]

Fenerbahçe played against the staff of the Royal Navy that occupied Istanbul during the Turkish War of Independence. Some British soldiers formed football teams that were named after the players' speciality, for example Essex Engineers, Irish Guards, Grenadiers, and Artillery. These teams played against each other and against local football teams in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe won many of these matches.^[11] The most known match played against the British was the match that would determine the winner of the General Harrington Cup.

Fenerbahçe won the Istanbul Football Leagues 16 times, the Turkish National Division 6 times, and the Turkish Football Championship 3 times, all of them records, profiling themselves as a forerunner and dominating side in Turkish football before the introduction of the professional nationwide league in 1959.^[3]

Winning the first National League

Under the guidance of Ignác Molnár, the club won many trophies

The Turkish Football Federation founded a professional national league in 1959, which continues today under the name of the Süper Lig. Fenerbahçe won the first tournament, beating archrivals Galatasaray 4–1 on aggregate.^[12] The next year, Fenerbahçe participated in the European Cup for the first time. They qualified through a 4–3 win over Csepel SC, being the first Turkish club to advance to the next round by eliminating its opponent. They lost their first-round game to Nice 1–5 in a playoff game after drawing on aggregate.^[13] Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-final of the 1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup where it was eliminated by MTK Budapest. Fenerbahçe won four more league titles in the 1960s and were runners-up three times, making it the most successful club of that era.^[14][15] Fenerbahçe was coached by Ignác Molnár at the time, a famous Hungarian coach who had introduced a new style of football in Turkey. Under his guidance, Fenerbahçe managed to eliminate English champions Manchester City in the first round of the 1968–69 European Cup.

Balkans Cup victory

In the 1966–67 Balkans Cup (a competition set up for Eastern European clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia that existed between the 1960–61 and 1993–94 seasons), Fenerbahçe won the cup after three final matches against Greek club AEK Athens, making them the first Turkish club to win a non-domestic competition. This success would remain unparalleled by a Turkish club until Sarıyer and Samsunspor won the cup many years later in the 1990s, when the competition lost much of its popularity.^[16]

Later years

Didi coached the club between 1972 and 1975, winning eight trophies

The 1970s saw Fenerbahçe bring in the famous Didi as their new coach. Fenerbahçe won four more league titles, including a double with Cemil Turan being the top goal scorer three times. The 1970s also established a rivalry with Trabzonspor, where for almost a decade Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor were competing each other for the title. The 1980s saw Fenerbahçe win three more league titles. Under the guidance of Kálmán Mészöly, Fenerbahçe managed to eliminate French champions Bordeaux in the first round of the 1985–86 European Cup. This victory marked a turning point as for almost a decade no Turkish club managed to get past the first round in European competitions.

Galatasaray and Beşiktaş dominated the Turkish League during the 1990s, combining to win nine out of ten titles. Fenerbahçe's only Turkish League success during the 1990s came in the 1995–96 season under the guidance of Carlos Alberto Parreira.^[14][15] In the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League season, Fenerbahçe completed the group stage with seven points^[17] and, amongst others, beat Manchester United 1–0 at Old Trafford, undoing the record of the English giants being unbeaten for 40 years in their homeground.

Fenerbahçe won the league title in 2001, denying Galatasaray a fifth consecutive title. It followed up the next season with a second-place behind Galatasaray with new coach Werner Lorant. The next season, however, did not go so well: Fenerbahçe finished in sixth place.^[18] Despite this, that season is memorable to many Fenerbahçe fans due to a 6–0 win against arch-rivals Galatasaray at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on 6 November 2002.^[19] After firing Werner Lorant, the club hired another German coach in, Christoph Daum. Daum had previously coached in Turkey, winning the league with Beşiktaş in 1994–95. Fenerbahçe brought in players including Pierre van Hooijdonk, Mehmet Aurélio and Fabio Luciano as a rebuilding process. These new players lead Fenerbahçe to its 15th title and third star (one being awarded for every five league titles won by a club).^[20]

The next year was followed by a narrow championship over Trabzonspor, winning a then record 16 Turkish Football League championships.^[21] Fenerbahçe lost the title in the last week of the 2005–06 season to Galatasaray. Fenerbahçe needed a win, but instead drew 1–1 with Denizlispor while Galatasaray won 3–0 over Kayserispor. Soon after, Christoph Daum resigned as manager^[22] and was replaced by Zico on 4 July 2006.^[23][24] Zico began his reign by signing two new defenders: highly touted Uruguayan international Diego Lugano and Zico's fellow Brazilian Edu Dracena.^[25] Zico also signed two strikers in Serbian international Mateja Kežman and another Brazilian, Deivid.^[26] Fenerbahçe's 2006–07 domestic season started with a 6–0 win over relegation candidates Kayseri Erciyesspor.^[27] In the 32nd week of the Süper Lig, Fenerbahçe drew Trabzonspor 2–2, while Beşiktaş lost to Bursaspor 0–3, putting the former out of contention for the title.^[28][29] Fenerbahçe won its 17th Süper Lig title in 2006–07.^[30]

2007–present

Zico coached the club between 2006 and 2008

Roberto Carlos played for the club between 2007 and 2009

Fenerbahçe against Chelsea in the second leg of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals

On 11 January 2007, Fenerbahçe were officially invited to G-14.^[31] G-14 was an association which consists of top European clubs. Fenerbahçe are the only Turkish club that have been invited to this association. In March 2008, Fenerbahçe's record application was accepted by Guinness World Records Menagement Team, which envisages Fenerbahçe to have the most medal and trophy achievements in the world with its nine branches entirely, a total of 1,134 cups and medals.^[32]

Under Zico's command, Fenerbahçe qualified from the 2007–08 Champions League group stage for the first time in the club's history and went on to beat Sevilla to become a quarter-finalist in the 2007–08 season. Zico is also the most successful manager of the team's history in the Champions League. After successful scores both in the Turkish league and international matches, Zico gained a new nickname from the Fenerbahçe fans: Kral Arthur (meaning "King Arthur" in Turkish). In February 2009, Fenerbahçe became the first Turkish club to enter the Deloitte Football Money League.^[33] Since 2000, Fenerbahçe improved the club's finances and facilities, bringing world stars to the club such as Ariel Ortega, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Alex, Stephen Appiah, Nicolas Anelka and, more recently, Mateja Kežman, Roberto Carlos, Daniel Güiza, Dirk Kuyt, Diego Ribas, Nani, and Robin van Persie.

In the 2009–10 season Fenerbahçe lost the title on the last matchday; Fenerbahçe players were told that a draw would be enough towards the end of the match only to find out that the other critical game went against their favour, as Bursaspor beat Beşiktaş 2–1 to win the title. Despite the title loss, Fenerbahçe ended the season with the most clean sheets (10), as well as the joint longest winning streak (8).^[34] In July 2011, Fenerbahçe fans invaded the pitch during a friendly against the Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk. As punishment, Fenerbahçe were sentenced to two Süper Lig games in an empty stadium. The TFF later allowed those two games to be filled with spectators; men were barred, while women and children under 12 were admitted for free.^[35] On 29 October 2012, Antalyaspor ended Fenerbahçe’s 47-match unbeaten run in the Süper Lig at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. Fenerbahçe had not lost a match at home since they were beaten 2–3 by eventual champions Bursaspor in week 22, on 22 February 2010. Fenerbahçe won 38 and drew nine in the 47 matches they played within 980 days since 22 February 2010.^[36] On 3 November 2012, Fenerbahçe peck Akhisar Belediyespor to break a 181-day away jinx.^[37] On 2 May 2013, Fenerbahçe were eliminated by Benfica 3–2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the 2012–13 Europa League, one of the biggest successes in Fenerbahçe's history in UEFA competitions.^[38][39]

On 28 June 2013, Ersun Yanal agreed to take charge of Fenerbahçe to replace Aykut Kocaman, who resigned in late May.^[40][41] Ersun Yanal's appointment coincided with tough times for Fenerbahçe, which had just been banned from European competitions for two seasons over their alleged involvement in a domestic sports corruption scandal. Fenerbahçe, which finished second in the Süper Lig in 2012–13, thus missed-out on the 2013–14 Champions League, which it had been due to enter in the third qualifying round.^[42][43] Fenerbahçe finished the 2014–15 season as runners-up, forcing the board of directors to undertake some major changes. For the 2015–16 season, Fenerbahçe brought in Vítor Pereira as their new coach. Portuguese star Nani, Danish defender Simon Kjær and Robin van Persie were added to the squad to fulfill the club's ambitions to be successful in the Süper Lig and European competitions. On 10 December 2015, Fenerbahçe played their 200th European game against Celtic.

Relationships with other clubs

More recently, in November 2011 Fenerbahçe's Genç Fenerbahçeliler created a friendly relationship with Torcida Sandžak, the organized supporters of Serbian club Novi Pazar. During a Süper Lig match against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium, the Genç Fenerbahçeliler and 1907 Gençlik stand deployed a giant banner reading "Kalbimiz Seninle Novi Pazar" ("Novi Pazar, Our Hearts Are With You")^[50] and after then, in the game against Radnicki Kragujevac in the Serbian SuperLiga, Torcida Sandžak members deployed a giant banner reading "Sancak'ta atıyor, Fenerbahçe'nin kalbi" ("The heart of Fenerbahçe beats in Sandžak").^[51] On 2 March 2012, Fenerbahçe's Genç Fenerbahçeliler and 1907 Gençlik members were invited to Novi Pazar for the match against Partizan in the Serbian SuperLiga. Thousands of Torcida Sandžak members welcomed Genç Fenerbahçeliler and 1907 Gençlik's 17 members.^[52]

Rivalries

Fenerbahçe against Galatasaray in 1914

"The big three" clubs of Istanbul, Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, have a century-long history of rivalry. The Fenerbahçe–Galatasaray rivalry is the primary Istanbul derby and the most important rivalry in Turkish football; matches between the two teams are known as The Intercontinental Derby (Turkish: Kıtalararası Derbi). The rivalry started on 23 February 1934, when a friendly game between both clubs turned into a riot, forcing the match to be abandoned. The rivalry has led to violence among supporters on numerous occasions.^[53] Torches, smoke, flags, and giant posters are used to create visual grandeur and apply psychological pressure on visiting teams, which fans call "welcoming them to hell".

Şükrü Saracoğlu

Mehmet Şükrü Saracoğlu was a Turkish politician and the fifth Prime Minister of Turkey. He was born in Ödemiş in 1887. Saracoğlu progressed as being a teacher before graduating from foreign faculties. He also became the Minister of Education in 1924. Saracoğlu was successful at every area even in politics and was a statesman in Turkey. He was also a keen Fenerbahçe supporter and became the president of the club from 1934 to 1950, which made him the longest serving Fenerbahçe president. In 1953, three years after retiring from politics, he died in Istanbul on 27 December.^[57]

Domestic competitions

The 1959 Turkish National League trophy on display in the Fenerbahçe Museum

National Championships – 28 (record)

• Turkish Super League

Winners (19): 1959, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2013–14

Runners-up (22): 1959–60, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18

• Turkish National Division

Winners (6) (record): 1937, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1950

Runners-up (2): 1944, 1947

• Turkish Football Championship

Winners (3) (record): 1933, 1935, 1944

Runners-up (2): 1940, 1947

National Cups

• Turkish Cup

Winners (6): 1967–68, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1982–83, 2011–12, 2012–13

Runners-up (11): 1962–63, 1964–65, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2017–18

• Turkish Super Cup

Winners (9): 1968, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1990, 2007, 2009, 2014

Runners-up (9): 1970, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1996, 2012, 2013

• Prime Minister's Cup

Winners (8) (record): 1945, 1946, 1950, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1993, 1998

Runners-up (7): 1944, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1992, 1994, 1995

• Atatürk Cup

Winners (2) (record): 1964, 1998

European competitions

• Balkans Cup

Winners (1): 1966–67

Regional competitions

Fenerbahçe squad that won the 1911–12 Istanbul Football League

Fenerbahçe squad that won the 1922–23 Istanbul Football League

• Istanbul Football League

Winners (16) (record): 1911–12, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1958–59

• Istanbul Cup

Winners (1): 1945

• Istanbul Shield

Winners (4) (record): 1930, 1934, 1938, 1939

Others

• General Harrington Cup

Winners (1): 1923

• Fleet Cup

Winners (4) (record): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985

• TSYD Cup

Winners (12) (shared-record): 1969, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1995

• TSYD Challenge Cup

Winners (2) (record): 1976, 1980

• Spor Toto Cup

Winners (1): 1967

Best achievements

As of 17 August 2017

Season	Achievement	Notes
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1963–64	Quarter-Finalist	eliminated by MTK Budapest 0–2 in Budapest, 3–1 in Istanbul, 0–1 in Rome
UEFA Champions League
2007–08	Quarter-Finalist	eliminated by Chelsea 2–1 in Istanbul, 0–2 in London
UEFA Europa League
2012–13	Semi-Finalist	eliminated by Benfica 1–0 in Istanbul, 1–3 in Lisbon

Statistics

As of 14 August 2018

UEFA ranking

As of 24 September 2018^[60]

Rank	Country	Team	Points
54		Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	24.000
55		Fenerbahçe	23.500
56		FC Steaua Bucharest	23.000

Current squad

As of 31 August 2018^[61] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Volkan Demirel (captain) 3 DF Hasan Ali Kaldırım 4 DF Mauricio Isla 5 MF Mehmet Topal (vice-captain) 6 DF İsmail Köybaşı 7 MF Alper Potuk 8 MF Ozan Tufan 9 FW Roberto Soldado 11 MF Mehmet Ekici 13 GK Carlos Kameni 15 MF Uygar Zeybek 16 MF Ferdi Kadıoğlu 17 MF Nabil Dirar 19 DF Şener Özbayraklı 20 MF André Ayew (on loan from Swansea City) 22 FW Michael Frey 23 DF Diego Reyes

No. Position Player 24 MF Barış Alıcı 25 GK Berke Özer 26 MF Tolga Ciğerci 28 MF Mathieu Valbuena 31 FW Islam Slimani (on loan from Leicester City) 32 MF Jailson 33 DF Roman Neustädter 35 GK Harun Tekin 37 DF Martin Škrtel 39 FW Yassine Benzia (on loan from Lille) 53 DF Yiğithan Güveli 54 GK Erten Ersu 66 MF Oğuz Kağan Güçtekin 80 DF Serhat Kot 92 MF Aatif Chahechouhe 99 MF Eljif Elmas

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player MF Salih Uçan (at Empoli until 30 June 2019) MF Samed Karakoç (at Tarsus İY until 31 May 2019) MF Ramazan Civelek (at Karagümrük until 31 May 2019) FW Ahmethan Köse (at Kırklarelispor until 31 May 2019)

Fenerbahçe A2

Main article: Fenerbahçe S.K. A2^[62]

Academy teams

Retired number(s)

12

Team captains

Player records

Most goals

Outline	Player	Record
Most goals in all-time	Zeki Rıza Sporel	470
Most goals in Süper Lig	Aykut Kocaman	140
Most goals in one match	Melih Kotanca & Zeki Rıza Sporel	8
Most goals in one league match	Tanju Çolak	6
Most goals in UEFA competitions	Alex de Souza	15

Note: Zeki Rıza Sporel scored his record eight goals against Anadolu in 1931, Melih Kotanca repeated this record against Topkapı in 1940. Tanju Çolak scored six goals against Karşıyaka in the 1992–93 season.

Most appearances

Outline	Player	Record
Most appearances in all-time	Müjdat Yetkiner	763
Most appearances in UEFA competitions	Volkan Demirel	86

Most

Fewest

Board members

Position	Name
President	Ali Koç
Board Member	Semih Özsoy
Board Member	Mehmet Burhan Karaçam
Board Member	Nevres Erol Bilecik
Board Member	Sevil Zeynep Becan
Board Member	Şaban Erdikler
Board Member	Mustafa Tankut Turnaoğlu
Board Member	Fethi Pekin
Board Member	Metin Şen
Board Member	Turhan Şahin
Board Member	Mustafa Kemal Danabaş
Board Member	Acar Sertaç Komsuoğlu
Board Member	Simla Türker Bayazıt
Board Member	Ömer Okan
Board Member	Burak Çağlan Kızılhan

Source:^[65]

Technical staff

Position	Name
Director of Football	Damien Comolli
Administrative Manager	Onur Başar
Manager	Phillip Cocu
Assistant Manager	Chris Van der Weerden
Assistant Manager	Erwin Koeman
Goalkeeping Coach	Murat Öztürk
Coach	Barış Karakoç
Coach	Zeki Murat Göle
Coach	Turgay Altay
Individual Player Coach	Fatih Yıldız
Individual Player Coach	Alper Aşçı
Analyst	Melikşah Sezgin
Doctor	Burak Kunduracıoğlu
Physiotherapist	Umut Şahin
Physiotherapist	Ata Özgür Ercan
Physiotherapist	Bülent Uyar
Masseur	Fuat Öz
Masseur	Murat Çalışkan
Masseur	Özkan Alaca

Source:^[66]