Terrorism attacks on Turkish football

On December 10, 2016 twin bomb blasts outside the newly built Vodafone Arena Stadium, popularly known as Besiktas Stadium after the home team reportedly killed 38 peoples and left 155 wounded. The attacks carried out after the conclusion --rather in the middle -- of a football match. Therefore few believe this is not a kind of the Paris terror attacks held on November 13, 2015 in which the Stade de France in Saint Denis had been directly targeted to induce security fears among football fans and threatened the hosting of EURO 2016. But it cannot be denied that the platform of sports has been used again by terrorists in Istanbul just to gain wider attention, larger casualties and greater notoriety.  

Nearly two hours after the end of the match between Besiktas and Bursaspor of a Super Lig encounter, when spectators were coming out of stadium, a bomb exploded in a car parked with explosives and within a minute the second explosion was heard nearby which was a suicide blast. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks has taken the responsiblity of terror attack and claimed that their two men were used for this terrorism task.

The target of the attack were apparently the special police force stationed right after the exit of Bursaspor fans. Out of total dead casualties 30, therefore were policemen. However, the club maintains that among those killed was Vefa Karakurdu, as senior police officer in charge of security of games who was member of the Besiktas club's congress and Tunc Uncu who worked at the official merchandise store.

                                  

The club was founded as a gymnastics club in 1903 and its full name is still Besiktas Gymnastics Club (BJK). But its focus rapidly became football and like most of the Turkish clubs it proudly remains a multi-sports club. Besiktas FC of Istanbul is, that's why, one of the Turkey' oldest sports club with a passionate fan base known for their opposition to the authorities. But with this tragic incident in the night of December 10, 2016  the club will be remembered not for football but for an horrible act of sports terrorism that will forever leave a mark on the club's history, which goes back to the Ottomon Empire.

The club's famously leftist and anti-establishment fan club Carsi are seen as natural foes of Erodogan and like to chant slogans against his rule. Carsi members played a key role in 2013 protests against Erodogon over the development of an Istanbul park that represented one of the biggest challenges to the Turkey powerful Premier.

                                     

That is one of the reasons that Turkey's radio and television board issued a temporary coverage ban on the attack citing national security concerns, which said "to avoid braodcasts that can result in public fear, panic or chaos, or that will serve the aims of terrorists."

President Tayyip Erodogon however believed after the attack that the blast shortly after the end of the match sought to cause maximum loss of life. "An act of terror targeted our security forces and citizens at Besiktas tonight", he also maintains in a statement.     

By Muhammad Wasim

mwasim.370@gmail.com