Fenerbahce fans at OAKA: “We are Kemal’s soldiers
Turkish fans wore banned "Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Association" t-shirts and chanted nationalist slogans at a Euroleague match in Athens, despite Greek courts dissolving the group for irredentist purposes.
A provocative appearance with a t-shirt of the illegal Fenerbahçe Association at OAKA – The persistent instrumentalization, nationalist slogans, and double standards.
Written by Nikos Arvanitis
A particularly provocative scene was recorded during the recent Olympiacos – Fenerbahçe match at OAKA, within the framework of the Euroleague Final Four. As captured in photographic material, a fan of the Turkish team appeared wearing a t-shirt of the club “Batı Trakya Fenerbahçeliler Derneği” (Athletic – Cultural Association of Fenerbahçe Fans of Western Thrace).
This move was not isolated, as a segment of the Turkish team’s fans consciously attempted to give a strong political and nationalistic dimension to a top-level sporting event hosted in Greece.
According to what was recorded upon their arrival and presence at the Olympic Facilities indoor arena, many Fenerbahçe fans wore t-shirts with the photograph of Kemal Atatürk, while chants with clear nationalistic content were heard in the stands, such as the provocative “we are Kemal’s soldiers”, as well as references alluding to Constantinople, attempting to project nationalist messages inside Athens.
It should be recalled that this particular “Western Thrace” association was founded in 2022, fitting into the framework of the well-known schemes and actions of the Turkish Consulate of Komotini, which systematically attempt to create fait accompli in the region. However, Greek Justice placed a definitive barrier: in May 2024, the Multi-Member Court of First Instance of Rodopi ordered the dissolution of the association, ruling the use of the term “Western Thrace” illegal, as it conceals irredentist purposes and undermines social cohesion.
In June 2025, the Court of Appeals of Komotini rejected the association’s appeal, definitively sealing its operation.
The “coordinated” network of Associations and May 19th
Despite the judicial ban and the definitive closure in Greece, the illegal association continues to operate de facto as an organic part of the official network of Fenerbahçe S.K. fan clubs in Turkey, faithfully following Ankara’s political and ideological line.
On May 20, 2026, Turkish media recorded the mass mobilization of Fenerbahçe clubs for the 107th anniversary of May 19, 1919 (Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day), which marks the beginning of Turkey’s war of independence with Mustafa Kemal’s landing in Samsun.
Within this nationalistic framework, the Fenerbahçe Association of Western Thrace (Batı Trakya Fenerbahçeliler Derneği) displayed full alignment with the associations of Turkey (such as the Fenerbahçe Association of Karamürsel and the Volunteers Association “Brothers 1907”).
The association, illegal under Greek legal order, participated normally in the official events, even carrying out a visit and memorial ceremony at the house where Atatürk was born. This action confirms that the guise of an “athletic association” is used exclusively for the promotion of political and irredentist purposes, which are then transferred within Greek stadiums as well.
The comparison that raises questions
The display of symbols and nationalist slogans at OAKA passed without any police intervention or observation, despite Euroleague’s explicit prohibition and regulations against political references in stadiums.
This tolerant stance by the Greek Authorities highlights a glaring disproportion in relation to the stance of Turkish authorities.
Let us recall that just the day before yesterday, a court in Constantinople imposed a 10-month prison sentence with a five-year suspension on two Greek citizens, who had been arrested at Hagia Sophia on charges of “inciting hatred” because they raised a flag with the Byzantine double-headed eagle and the slogan “Orthodoxy or death”.
Instrumentalization and political impressions
Political observers note that this incident is not isolated. Spokespersons and circles affiliated with the Turkish consulate systematically attempt to instrumentalize sensitive terminology issues in Thrace, in order to maintain a climate of artificial tension, transferring political confrontations to the stands.
While the recent institutional visits of the country’s highest state official to the region highlighted coexistence, equality before the law, and respect among communities, specific mechanisms choose to reintroduce divisive approaches that do not correspond to the reality of Thrace nor to the will of the majority of its inhabitants.
The transformation of a celebration of European basketball into a field for promoting consular “established facts” dynamites the climate and carries serious risks, as such manifestations go completely beyond sports boundaries and attempt to impose nationalist fait accompli.
Editor’s Comment
The organized presence of fans with t-shirts of an association that has been definitively dissolved as illegal by Greek Justice, combined with nationalist symbolism, chants about Constantinople and references to Kemal inside OAKA, constitutes a direct provocation. This is not simple “fan spirit,” but a clear attempt at political instrumentalization of the Final Four. When Ankara convicts Greeks for a flag at Hagia Sophia, our side cannot display such tolerance toward mechanisms that challenge legality in Thrace and attempt to turn Greek stands into a field of consular propaganda. Subjects for life? Or perhaps those sitting in the seats of Parliament refuse to see reality?
Source: TAXIARCHISpress
