Top clubs fail to find sponsors amid exodus of brands from Turkish football

Top Super League clubs are having trouble attracting new sponsors, as the brands are exiting the Turkish football. Four members of Turkey’s elite five clubs are at risk of playing without a main sponsor this year Twelve top flight Turkish clubs, including Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, could play the next Spor Toto Süper Lig season without a jersey sponsor, as the mass exodus of brands from Turkish football continues.

Defending champions Fenerbahçe and last year’s runner-up, Galatasaray, unveiled their new shirts last week, and both of the Istanbul football giants, who have 39 domestic titles between them, have failed to find a lucrative sponsorship deal so far.

The two archrivals are not alone in their troubles: Twelve of 18 Super League clubs have not yet secured a main sponsor for the upcoming season. The 12 sides include Bursaspor and Trabzonspor, other members of Turkey’s five-team elite.

Beşiktaş, which has a sponsorship deal with Vodafone, is the only former Turkish champion to have a jersey sponsorship deal. Beşiktaş’s jersey sponsorship with Vodafone also includes the naming rights of the Black Eagles’ new stadium, the Vodafone Arena, which is currently being built. Beşiktaş is receiving $29 million per year for the next five years as part of the deal.

The exodus is thought to have been prompted when Türk Telekom announced late last season that it would not be extending its sponsorship deals with Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor. The Turkish telecommunications giant said it would instead continue investing “in amateur sports.”

Koray Öztürkler, who resigned from his post as the chief corporate affairs...