Fan uprising at Galatasaray grows: Board targeted from the stands

Galatasaray lost 2-1 to Villarreal at RAMS Park in their last friendly match before the new season. With this result, the yellow-reds finished their summer with only 1 win and 1 draw in 5 friendly matches, while leaving the pitch defeated 3 times. The fact that no new transfer has been added to the squad this season apart from Lesley Ugochukwu, who joined only on loan, has exhausted the fans' patience.

The chants of 'Dursun Özbek, where are the transfers?' that rose from the stands before the match continued throughout and after the game. Fan groups who refused to leave the stadium despite the match ending openly voiced their reaction with chants such as 'Board, don't sleep, where are the transfers?' It appears that similar chants were made earlier during the friendly against Rennes, showing that the discontent over transfers has become a persistent issue.

Board member Abdullah Kavukcu, who has been at the center of the criticism, could no longer withstand the growing backlash from fans and closed his Instagram account. This move by Kavukcu came after thousands of fans left heavily critical comments on his social media account. Yet Kavukcu had previously stated after the Rennes match that he was personally responsible for the transfer process and had assured that significant reinforcements would be made.

In that statement, Kavukcu had said that as a club they could achieve success through unity, and asked fans for faith and trust. He had emphasized that negotiations were ongoing with serious players who would increase competition, and that both spending would occur and transfers would come. However, the results on the pitch and the absence of a permanent transfer added to the squad show that these words have not convinced the fans, and the reactions continue.