Football in Turkey

Turkish Süper Lig leader Sivasspor from eastern Turkey, which beat Istanbul's Beşiktaş away in return from the winter break to make a statement that it is there to stay, will take on Black Sea's Rizespor on Jan. 27 on the closing day of match week 19.

Turkish Süper Lig title contenders Fenerbahçe advanced to the quarterfinals of the Ziraat Turkish Cup on Jan. 21 by defeating Hes Kablo Kayserispor.

The Istanbul club eliminated Kayserispor 2-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16 match after the first leg ended 0-0 in Kayseri.

Goals by Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Mevlüt Erdinç in the first half led Fenerbahçe to victory at Ülker Stadium.

Turkish Süper Lig leaders Demir Grup Sivasspor on Jan. 19 beat Turkish giants Beşiktaş 2-1 to stay comfortably on top.

Turkey's Super Lig resumed after the winter break, following a first-half marked by so-called underdogs, with none of the three title contenders from Istanbul making it to the top three.

League leader from eastern Turkey, Sivasspor will re-launch its campaign in Istanbul, facing fourth-spot Beşiktaş.

A total of 2.1 million fans watched 153 Turkish Süper Lig matches in the stadiums during the first half of 2019-2020 season, said, Passolig, the league's branded pass card dealer on Jan. 3.

Süper Lig's average attendance was around 13,700 in the first half of this season while the title contenders from Istanbul, Fenerbahçe topped the average attendance table with 38,901 spectators.

Turkey's top-tier football division 'Süper Lig' underdogs Demir Grup Sivasspor are targeting their first-ever major title.

A modest club with limited monetary resources, Sivasspor maintained their heroic run to rule the Süper Lig's first half.

This summer, the club signed 13 players on free transfer to strengthen the squad.

Fenerbahçe beat Beşiktaş 3-1 in an Istanbul derby match on Dec. 22 to cling to the title race in Süper Lig led by Sivasspor.

At Ülker Stadium in Istanbul, Turkish football powerhouses Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş met a vital Turkish Super Lig derby in a Week 16 match.

Reigning champs Galatasaray fell away in the title race of the Turkish football league after losing against Göztepe on Dec. 21. 

In a Week 16 match on Dec. 21, Göztepe beat Galatasaray 2-1 at home in İzmir with goals by Cameron Jerome in the 9th minute and Halil Akbunar in the 61st minute. Galatasaray scored by own goal with Lamina Gassama in the 27th minute.

UEFA fined the Turkish Football Federation on Dec. 20 for performing military salute goal celebrations during the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers.

Sivasspor defeated Istanbul club Fenerbahçe 3-1 in a Week 15 match in the Turkish Süper Lig to extend its surprise stay atop standings.