İstanbulspor

İstanbulspor
Full name	İstanbulspor Kulübü A.Ş.
Nickname(s)	Boğalar (Bulls); İstanbul'un Takımı (Istanbul's Team); Halkın Takımı (People's Team)
Founded	4 January 1926; 98 years ago
Ground	Necmi Kadıoğlu Stadium,; Istanbul, Turkey
Capacity	4,491
Chairman	Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu
Manager	Osman Zeki Korkmaz
League	TFF First League
2023–24	Süper Lig, 20th of 20 (relegated)
Website	http://www.istanbulspor.com.tr/
	Current season

İstanbulspor Kulübü is a Turkish football and sports club founded by Istanbul High School students in 1926. In 2004–05, they were relegated from the Turkish Süper Lig (Super League) to the TFF First League. For many decades, it was the fourth most famous and well-developed professional football club in Istanbul, coming after Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahçe. After being bought by the Uzan family in 1990,^[2] it has been repossessed by the government and resold to third parties.

Their greatest success is the Turkish championship title won in 1932.^[3]

History

İstanbulspor was founded by Kemal Halim Gürgen, also known by his native Albanian name of Qemal Omari^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] and Istanbul Boys High School students. It was founded on 4 January 1926, being one of the first sports clubs of the Turkish Republican period. In the 1931–32 season, İstanbulspor won both the Istanbul League and Turkish Football Championship.

Until 1990, the club was managed by the Istanbul High School foundation. During this period, İstanbulspor has been relegated from and promoted to the top division several times. Also, it relegated to the amateur level in 1979 and played at the amateur level for two seasons. In 1984, club was relegated to third league. In 1990, Uzan Holding, led by Turkish businessman Cem Uzan, bought the club and converted it into İstanbulspor A.Ş., İstanbulspor incorporation. After that, Istanbulspor was funded by Uzan family and promoted back to first league in 1995. Istanbulspor became one of the most successful Turkish football clubs again, as they reached fourth place in the 1997–98 season and played in the UEFA Cup. Uzan family withdrew its support from İstanbulspor in 2001. Because of this, İstanbulspor fell into financial crisis and came ninth in the 2002–03 season.

Eventually, in 2003, the Turkish government took over the financially collapsed club. However, Istanbulspor were relegated to the second league in 2004–05. In 2006, İstanbulspor were resold by the government to former Turkish player Saffet Sancaklı's Marmara Spor Faaliyetleri San. ve Tic. A.Ş. for $3,250,000. In 2007, Ömer Sarıalioğlu, a Turkish businessman, bought the club from Saffet Sancaklı. İstanbulspor tried to avoid relegation at the last two seasons. İstanbulspor escaped from relegation in the 2008–09 season after finishing sixth in the Third Group. However, İstanbulspor finished the second group of the 2nd League next season as second from last and were finally relegated to the Third League, which is the fourth level of the Turkish football system. They played in the promotion play-offs in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons but failed to achieve success. İstanbulspor finally promoted to the Second League after defeating Zonguldak Kömürspor and Çorum Belediyespor successively in promotion play-offs in the 2014–15 season.

Colours and crest

The colours of İstanbulspor are yellow and black, which are the colours of Istanbul High School. Also, white is accepted as a third colour, but this is not official. Having represented Turkey in an international competition, İstanbulspor was granted the privilege to use the Turkish flag in its emblem, located on the top left corner. The emblem of Istanbul High School is in the middle.

League participations

Süper Lig (25): 1959–67, 1968–72, 1995–2005, 2022–24
TFF First League (18): 1967–68, 1972–75, 1981–84, 1992–95, 2005–08, 2017–2022, 2024-
TFF Second League (16): 1975–79, 1984–92, 2008–10, 2015–17
TFF Third League (5): 2010–15
Turkish Regional Amateur League (35): 1926–59, 1979–81

European history

As of 27 August 1998

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
UEFA Cup	2	1	0	1	4	4	0
UEFA Intertoto Cup	6	4	1	1	12	6	+6
Total	8	5	1	2	16	10	+6

UEFA Cup:

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1998–99	Q2	Argeș Pitești	4–2	0–2	4–4 (a)

UEFA Intertoto Cup:

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1997	Group Stage	Vasas	2–0	—	1st
		Werder Bremen	—	0–0
		Öster	3–2	—
		Universitāte Rīga	—	5–1
	Semi-final	Lyon	2–1	0–2	2–3

Honours

European competitions

UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Semi-finals (1): 1997

Domestic competitions

Turkish Football Championship
- Winners (1): 1932
TFF First League
- Winners (1): 1967–68
- Runners-up (1): 1994–95
TFF Second League
- Winners (2): 1991–92, 2016–17
TFF Third League
- Winners (1): 2014–15

Regional competitions

Istanbul Football League
- Winners (1): 1931–32
Istanbul Shield
- Winners (1): 1931–32
Istanbul 2. Football League
- Winners (1): 1926–27

Others

Spor Toto Cup
- Winners (1): 1970–71
TSYD Cup
- Winners (2): 1996, 2000

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor	Ref
1924-77	-	-
1977-78		Pereja	^[8]
1978-81		-
1981-82		Arko
1982-83		Dokusan
1983-84		-
1984-85		Kazal
1985-88		-
1988-91		Emlak Bankası
1991-92	Adidas	Conti/Rowenta
1992-93	-	-
1993-94	Diadora	Seat
1994-95	Adidas	-
1995-96	Umbro	Lee
1996-2000	Umbro	Telsim
2000-01	Umbro
2001-02	Umbro	Netbul
2002-03	Umbro	Netbul
2003-04	Umbro	-
2004-05	Le Coq Sportif	Turkcell
2023-24	Raru SPQOR	Turkcell

Club officials

Position	Name
Manager	Osman Zeki Korkmaz
Assistant Manager	Vural Önen
Goalkeeper Coach	Senih Yaban
Goalkeeper Coach	Yasin Çalışkan
Match Analyst	Eyüp Genç
Physiotherapist	İlhan Kafkas Altay Çetinkaya
Massur	Adnan Beyoğlu Recep Karaman
Nutritionist	Fatih Akdağ
Outfitter	Şenol Taşdemir Cihat Özdemir
Interpreter	Erol Kurt
General Manager	Gökhan Kaplan

Players

Current squad

As of 13 September 2024^[9]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	TUR	İsa Doğan
2	DF	TUR	Yunus Bahadır
3	DF	TUR	Duhan Aksu
4	DF	TUR	Fatih Tultak
5	DF	NGA	Michael Ologo
6	MF	LTU	Modestas Vorobjovas
7	MF	GAB	David Sambissa
8	MF	TUR	Vefa Temel
9	FW	TUR	Emir Kaan Gültekin
10	MF	MKD	Valon Ethemi
11	MF	TUR	Dijlan Aydın
13	DF	SEN	Racine Coly
14	MF	TUR	Kubilay Sönmez
16	MF	TUR	Kerem Şen (on loan from Trabzonspor)
17	MF	TUR	Enver Sarıalioğlu


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	FW	MLI	Gaoussou Diarra
20	FW	TUR	Özcan Şahan
21	DF	ENG	Demeaco Duhaney
23	DF	TUR	Okan Erdoğan
24	MF	TUR	Muammer Sarıkaya
26	GK	TUR	Mücahit Serbest
34	MF	KOS	Florian Loshaj
35	GK	TUR	Yiğit Yitmez
44	MF	TUR	Yusuf Özer
66	DF	TUR	Ali Yaşar
88	FW	CIV	Djakaridja Junior Traoré
90	MF	TUR	Demir Mermerci
97	MF	TUR	Eren Arda Şan
99	FW	BRA	Jackson

Out on loan

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	TUR	Alp Arda (at Iğdır until 30 June 2025)
—	DF	TUR	Arda Belen (at Büyükçekmece Tepecikspor until 30 June 2025)
—	DF	TUR	Abdurrahman Emek (at Büyükçekmece Tepecikspor until 30 June 2025)
—	DF	TUR	Bartu Kırtaş (at Beyoğlu Yeni Çarşı until 30 June 2025)
—	MF	TUR	Kubilay Köylü (at Yeni Mersin İY until 30 June 2025)
—	MF	SEN	Mendy Mamadou (at Sakaryaspor until 30 June 2025)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	TUR	Ahmet Can Özer (at Tire 2021 until 30 June 2025)
—	MF	TUR	Tunahan Şamdanlı (at Isparta 32 until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	TUR	Berk Ali Nizam (at Aliağa until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	KOS	Jetmir Topalli (at Pendikspor until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	TUR	Yusuf Tunç (at Elazığspor until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	TUR	İzzet Topatar (at Çayelispor until 30 June 2025)

Retired numbers

No.	Player	Nationality	Position	İstanbulspor debut	Last match	Ref
22	Zeki Çelik	Turkey	Right back	3 September 2016	4 May 2018	^[10]^[11]

Notable players

Europe

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Zdravko Zdravkov

Russia

Oleg Salenko

Turkey

Asia

Iran

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh

List of presidents

As of 6 June 2019^[12]

1925–1935: Kemal Halim Gürgen
1935–1941: Fethi Tanalay
1941–1946: Murat Çelikel
1946–1968: Ali Sohtorik
1968–1970: Talha Dinçel
1970–1972: Nirun Şahingiray
1972–1973: Hayri Aydıner
1973–1977: Hüseyin Taşdelenler
1977–1978: Ural Aydıner
1978–1980: Orhan Togar
1980–1981: Dursun Öztürk
1981–1984: Fethi Erhan
1984–1987: Muhsin Sarıcı
1987–1988: Mehmet Yıldırım
1988–1992: Aziz Alturfan
1992–1998: Cem Uzan
1998–2002: Tayfun Gündoğar
2002–2004: Adnan Sezgin
2004–2006: Mehmet Akif Yaşin
2006–2008: Saffet Sancaklı
2008–2015: Ömer Sarıalioğlu
2015–present: Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu

References

^ "Kuruluş" [Foundation] (in Turkish). Istanbulspor Supporters Association. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
^ Cho, Younghan (17 March 2016). Football in Asia: History, Culture and Business. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-59831-2.
^ "Turkish Süper Lig - facts, stats and history". www.footballhistory.org.
^ "Kemal Halim Gürgen'in Arnavutluk Anıları". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). 15 September 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^ Öğünç, Mehmet Şakir (6 January 2021). "Kemal Halim Gürgen". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^ "Omari, Singeri, Ljukshinovi, Kempesi… trajnerët e huaj në klubet shqiptare". www.panorama.com.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^ "Korçari Qemal Omari që themeloi Istanbulspor - Koha News". 3 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^ Kaygusuz, Hakan (10 December 2017). "Geçmişten Günümüze Formalarımız". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
^ "A Takım". İstanbulspor. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
^ "İstanbulspor, Zeki Çelik'in formasını emekli etti" (in Turkish). Milliyet. Anadolu News Agency. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
^ "İstanbulspor, Mehmet Zeki Çelik'in formasını 'emekli' etti" (in Turkish). Habertürk. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
^ "Başkanlarımız" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

External links

[History_of_Istanbulspor-1] "Kuruluş" [Foundation] (in Turkish). Istanbulspor Supporters Association. Retrieved 19 June 2022.

[2] Cho, Younghan (17 March 2016). Football in Asia: History, Culture and Business. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-59831-2.

[3] "Turkish Süper Lig - facts, stats and history". www.footballhistory.org.

[4] "Kemal Halim Gürgen'in Arnavutluk Anıları". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). 15 September 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2023.

[5] Öğünç, Mehmet Şakir (6 January 2021). "Kemal Halim Gürgen". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 November 2023.

[6] "Omari, Singeri, Ljukshinovi, Kempesi… trajnerët e huaj në klubet shqiptare". www.panorama.com.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 November 2023.

[7] "Korçari Qemal Omari që themeloi Istanbulspor - Koha News". 3 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2023.

[8] Kaygusuz, Hakan (10 December 2017). "Geçmişten Günümüze Formalarımız". İstanbulspor Taraftarlar Derneği (in Turkish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.

[Current_squad-9] "A Takım". İstanbulspor. Retrieved 18 July 2019.

[Zeki_Çelik_Number_Retirement_1-10] "İstanbulspor, Zeki Çelik'in formasını emekli etti" (in Turkish). Milliyet. Anadolu News Agency. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[Zeki_Çelik_Number_Retirement_2-11] "İstanbulspor, Mehmet Zeki Çelik'in formasını 'emekli' etti" (in Turkish). Habertürk. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[Presidents-12] "Başkanlarımız" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

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v t e Süper Lig
TFF Union of Clubs
Millî Lig	1959 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63
1. Lig	1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01
Süper Lig	2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Champions	Galatasaray (24) Fenerbahçe (19) Beşiktaş (16) Trabzonspor (7) Başakşehir (1) Bursaspor (1)
Current clubs	Adana Demirspor Alanyaspor Antalyaspor Başakşehir Beşiktaş Bodrum Eyüpspor Fenerbahçe Galatasaray Gaziantep Göztepe Hatayspor Kasımpaşa Kayserispor Konyaspor Rizespor Samsunspor Sivasspor Trabzonspor
Former clubs	Adanaspor Adalet Akçaabat Sebatspor Akhisarspor Altay Altınordu Ankara Demirspor Ankaragücü Ankaraspor Aydınspor Bakırköyspor Balıkesirspor Beykozspor Beyoğlu Boluspor Bucaspor Bursaspor Çanakkale Dardanelspor Denizlispor Diyarbakırspor Elazığspor Erzurumspor Erzurumspor F.K. Eskişehirspor Fatih Karagümrük Feriköy Gaziantepspor Gençlerbirliği Giresunspor Hacettepe İstanbulspor İzmirspor Kahramanmaraşspor Karabükspor Karşıyaka Kayseri Erciyesspor Keçiörengücü MKE Kırıkkalespor Kocaelispor Malatyaspor Manisaspor Mersin İdman Yurdu Orduspor Pendikspor Petrolofisi PTT Sakaryaspor Sarıyer Siirtspor Şekerspor Ümraniyespor Vanspor Vefa Yeni Malatyaspor Yeşildirek Yozgatspor Zeytinburnuspor Zonguldakspor