That was just to let the Boys Of Hell, an Ultra fan group that supports Istanbul football team Galatasaray, know that it was time to go home.

I have watched football matches all over the world – Uruguay, Argentina, Italy, England, Scotland, Australia, and Japan to name some – but this was my first time at a game in Turkey.

A-League officials in Australia might like to know the crowd was passionate, keen, and committed. Turkish football might face challenges but finding a willing audience is not one of them.

But A-League officials might like to look away when they learn the Gala crowd was also ferocious and abusive and it took an army of police to move them out of the stadium.



"Is this normal or is this special?" I asked Derya from Galatasaray TV, the club's own television station about the heavy police presence.

She was confused by the question but only because for her it didn't require explanation.

"It's normal," she said, slightly embarrassed when I asked for translation of what the Galatasaray fans were chanting at the Bursaspor supporters who had travelled up for the game.

(Derya politely explained that, according to Galatasaray fans, the population of Bursa is gay, which in Turkey is considered highly insulting.)

Earlier, to gain entry to the stadium, I had to go through a pat down from a security guard (OK, fairly normal) who then ordered me to put my coins in a charity box marked as intended for Turkey's Red Crescent (a fairly special experience).

The reason, I knew, was to stop me from throwing coins at the players, match officials, or opposition fans. This was at the entry, I should point out, for VIPs (yes, I was connected).

"You have to understand that here, someone can be normal during the week at their job and then come here at night and go completely crazy," a local explained later.

"They work in banks, in offices, and then they walk into the stadium and turn into animals. They will throw anything – coins, bottle tops, telephones."

This perhaps adds another layer to an advertisement plastered across the city and seen on television that features a player from Fenerbahce, another Istanbul team, answering a mobile phone while playing in a game.

In an atmosphere of contrast, a peculiar sight before kick-off.

Forget about shaking hands as part of pre-match protocol. Taking respect to a whole new level, Bursaspor's players lined up to kiss Galatasaray coach Bulent Korkmaz, a legend as a player, on both cheeks. Can you imagine Melbourne Victory players doing similar to Sydney FC's ex-boss John Kosmina?

Bursaspor also quickly gifted Galatasaray a goal that thrilled the Boys Of Hell no end and gave the home team pretty much a head start for its eventual 2-1 win.

They were, at least, polite visitors.


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