International Besiktas Fans Day Special: Besiktas’ Significance in Turkish Sports
- Olivia Myers
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
For some it’s first love, for some it’s a lifestyle and for some it’s a legacy to pass on to their future generations. 19th of March is the day of the Black Eagle fans. On this special day for them, this article covers what makes Besiktas so special in Turkish sports and World sports
The Pioneers of Turkish Sport
Towards the end of the Ottoman Empire era, a sports club named “Bereket” was founded on 3rd of March 1903, the first in Turkish sporting history. Their name was later changed to “Besiktas”. Despite being a Turkish club, Besiktas was founded by a group of around 25 Circassians, who are the local people of the Caucasus region. Interestingly, Besiktas didn’t start its life as the football club we know today, it was a gymnastics club at first, the “JK” at the end of their name represents the initial letters of “Gymnastics Club” in Turkish. In 1911, Besiktas became the first registered sports club in the history of Turkish sports and their football activities also began during the same period. Although there are many sources claiming that the club’s original colours were red and white, further research proved that Besiktas was always black and white. The “Black Eagle” became the symbol of the club many years later in 1941 after a fan chant. Over the years, Besiktas has produced many important figures of Turkish sport, especially in football. “Baba” Hakki Yeten, Seref Bey and Suleyman Seba were some of the first ones from the long list of prestigious Turkish footballers. Their ultras are a group named “Carsi” and they’re amongst the most respected sports groups in Türkiye.
The Club of Firsts
The Black Eagles didn’t limit themselves with football, they became a leading figure in many sports in Türkiye. They are known to be the first champions of Türkiye in fencing, athleticism and volleyball; the first organisers of decathlon races in Türkiye and the first Turkish club to do underwater sports and boxing. Besiktas is also the first Turkish sports club to send female athletes to the Olympics in 1936, which is one of the first attempts in Türkiye to encourage female athletes into sports. In the modern era of Turkish football, the Black Eagles reached some incredible domestic and continental feats in football. Under the management of former England international and manager Gordon Milne in the 1991/1992 season, Besiktas became the first and still the only Turkish invincibles. 15 years after that achievement, they’ve also become the champions of the inaugural Turkish Super Cup. When Besiktas entered the Champions League group stage in the 2017/2018 season, the expectations weren’t high for them around Europe. However, the Black Eagles topped their group of Monaco, Porto and RB Leipzig and rewrote Turkish football history by reaching these feats: The only unbeaten Turkish team in the group stage, the only Turkish team to top their group and the Turkish team with the most points, goals and wins in the group stage. Their fans also took part in a very unique Champions League moment. The year before their historic UCL feats, while they were hosting Benfica in the group stage, Besiktas fans performed the world’s first “silent chant”. In this one minute of silence, Besiktas fans chanted with sign language to raise awareness against the issues of deaf people and to stand against racism as well.
A Rare Privilege
Did you know that Besiktas has represented the Turkish National Football Team before? In 1952, Türkiye was in tense relationships with Greece, so the Prime Minister of Türkiye of that time managed to organise a friendly game against Greece to ease the tensions. But, in those years, Türkiye was yet to have a national team and there were struggles to build one. So, the Turkish Football Federation has given Besiktas the task to represent Türkiye on the international stage. In this very rare sporting occasion, Besiktas formed a team to face Greece on 16th of May 1952, also inviting players from their local rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray to represent Türkiye. Despite the 1-0 loss against Greece, Besiktas have successfully completed the task of forming a national team and for that they were given the highest and rarest honour in the history of Turkish football: The right to carry the Turkish flag on their club emblem. Today, some other sports clubs also have the Turkish flag on their emblem, but Besiktas was once again the leading example in Türkiye.
The Gentleman
Besiktas isn’t only known for their sporting achievements, but also for their gentle character. Especially during the presidency of the late, “honorary chairman” Suleyman Seba(1926-2014), the Black Eagles have built respectful bonds, even with their fierce rivals. The former Turkish international and Besiktas player still lives in the memories of many sporting figures of today around Türkiye, as the embodiment of class, chivalry and everything that Besiktas stands for. He left a legacy full of Besiktas, even after his passing, his character still inspires the young black eagles. If you look at the football youth facilities of Besiktas in Fulya/Istanbul, you’ll see a sign in Turkish saying “Play with honour, win fairly!”. This sign alone shows that Besiktas does not only produce Turkish athletes of fair play, but also raise people with good character.
Long story short, the 123-year-old Besiktas is one of the important organisations that built the foundation of Turkish sports. With their iconic history, gentlemanly character and very loud fans, they represent Türkiye in many sports with their heads high. Black Eagles have grown their international reputation in recent years and gained many new fans across the world, even becoming popular in different countries. So, to all the Besiktas fans around the globe, we wish you a happy International Besiktas Fans Day!
Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026
