Football in Turkey

Turkish national team coach Fatih Terim painted a grim picture of football in the country in a press conference on Jan. 7, while also outlining future moves to revamp Turkish football.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has changed the rules on the foreign player quota for Spor Toto Super League clubs, allowing them to field 11 foreign players beginning next season.

Trabzonspor showed no mercy to Manisaspor in a Ziraat Turkey Cup game Dec. 25, triggering a hot debate between the respective managers about the ethics of running up the goal tally.

The 15th week of Turkey's top football division, the Spor Toto Super League, is set to kick off Dec. 26 with the highly anticipated match between Gençlerbirliği and Galatasaray in Ankara, as the race heats up both at the top and the bottom of the standings.

The match will begin at 8 p.m. local time.

Beşiktaş’s defensive midfielder Veli Kavlak hit the headlines Dec. 25 not for any great play in his side’s loss to Adana Demirspor, but a rare objection to the referee to prevent a rival from receiving a red card.

Football's European governing body UEFA has banned Bursaspor from the next UEFA competition because of the Turkish football club's financial issues, according to a statement on Dec. 22.

Turkey's last remaining participants in European competition, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, will face difficult respective tests against Liverpool and Napoli in the Europa League Round of 32 following a draw on Dec. 15 in Nyon, Switzerland.

Galatasaray has already lost any chances of continuing its European campaign this season, but the Istanbul club will try to bow out with a victory when it hosts Arsenal tonight for a Champions League Group D game.

Beşiktaş cruised past Trabzonspor 3-0 on Dec. 7 at Konya Metropolitan Torku Arena, defending its top spot on the Spor Toto Süper League standings.

Turkey’s Spor Toto Super League leader Beşiktaş will face Trabzonspor, the Black Sea giant that has enjoyed a comeback under new coach Ersun Yanal, in the game of the week on Dec. 7 in the Central Anatolian province of Konya.