When Amedspor took to the pitch for their first away game in their first-ever Turkish Super Lig season, a banner depicting a white Renault Toros was spotted.
This is a car synonymous with the abduction and extrajudicial killings of Kurds in the 1990s and its use by rival Kocaelispor fans was deliberately provocative. The Kurdish club is a frequent target for such hatred.
Amedspor’s promotion for the 2026/27 season has stoked all sorts of anti-Kurdish sentiment across Turkish football.
An estimated 15-20 million Kurds live in Turkey and Amedspor are a symbol of Kurdish defiance in a country that often denies the existence of the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state.
At a time when the Turkish Super Lig is welcoming more and more star players, the most compelling storyline this season could be one of ethnic and national identity.
