Dear sponsors, please let Turkish football die

While Turkey seems to be on a downward path in democracy, freedom of speech and fighting against corruption, the situation of the country?s football is no different.

A recent decision by one of Turkey?s largest holding companies has dealt the latest blow to the ?beautiful game,? which had already been troubled with rumors and investigations on match fixing, fan violence, plummeting spectator numbers, subpar performances of the national team, etc.

Murat Ülker, the chairman of Y?ld?z Holding, which has poured around $215 million into football in the last nine years as the main sponsor of the national team and Istanbul clubs Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, informed the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) in a letter that they his company will no longer continue its financial support to Turkish football.

His reasons were logical.

?Violence, fighting and tension have become associated with the game. The brand value of football has dramatically decreased and matches have lost their attractiveness, with stadiums being empty and the overall atmosphere not matching with the concept of fair play,? Ülker said.

Speaking to Habertürk, the businessman, whose aggressive strategy of growing abroad resulted in the acquisitions of Godiva and United Biscuits, particularly slammed the e-ticketing system Passolig.

?No one wants their information to be collected, even by the state; this is disturbing,? he said, echoing the concerns of many football supporter groups, who have been boycotting the games and waiting for the result of a complaint referred to the Constitutional Court on the grounds that the system violates the privacy of personal data.

Passolig is one of the many stupid things that Turkish football has recently witnessed...