[49766] Promotion to the Premier League and Riots in Nevizade: Tensions Between Galatasaray and Amedspor Fans

Tensions in the Streets of Istanbul and Celebrations in the Sporting Arena

The night between May 3 and May 4, 2026, was marked by turbulent events in the Nevizade district of Istanbul. According to reports from the channel GALATASARAY BAŞAKŞEHİR CANLI, a brawl developed at the site between fans of the Galatasaray team and fans of the Amedspor team. The report claims that videos were circulated on social media showing an "exchange of words that escalated into a brawl" (according to GALATASARAY BAŞAKŞEHİR CANLI), with the crowd present at the scene heard chanting nationalist slogans such as "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal." The channel notes that no official statement has been released so far regarding the circumstances of the incident.

The events in Nevizade come against the backdrop of a significant sporting achievement for the Amedspor club. As reported in Haber Gündem, the team finished in second place in the Turkish First League (Trendyol 1.Lig) and officially qualified for the Turkish Premier League (Süper Lig). According to the channel, the promotion was received with "great joy and pride" in the city of Diyarbakır, where residents celebrated the event as a holiday of sorts (according to Haber Gündem). This channel also noted that the appearance of a tourist at the celebrations went viral on social media.

On the political front, the issue raised the vigilance of the establishment. The channel TGRT HABER reported that the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, issued a special statement regarding Amedspor's achievement (according to TGRT HABER). It should be noted that TGRT HABER is identified with a conservative-nationalist line, which gives Bahçeli's message a significant political context, given the complex ethnic and political background often associated with the Amedspor club in Turkish public discourse.