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Turkish Football Federation

The Turkish Football Federation (Turkish: Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Turkish Football League and the Turkish Cup.

Governed competitions

Leagues

The Turkish football league system is divided into eight tiers, ranging from the top-tier Süper Lig to local amateur divisions.

Cups

The Turkish Cup changed its name to the Federation Cup (Turkish: Federasyon Kupası) in the 1980–81 season, then back to Turkish Cup in 1992–93.

Hosting bids

Turkey have bid five times to host the UEFA European Championship.

Turkey submitted a joint bid with Greece for UEFA Euro 2008, which failed. Their bid for UEFA Euro 2012 was also unsuccessful, with the competition going to Poland and Ukraine. The federation also submitted a bid to host UEFA Euro 2016, but UEFA announced that Euro 2016 would be hosted by France. Turkey were also bidding for UEFA Euro 2024, competing against Germany. Germany were announced the hosts. Turkey will host the UEFA Euro 2032, alongside Italy (both previously bid against each other for 2016), given Turkey to finally host a UEFA Euro on their fifth attempt.

Turkey had already hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final, and the 2009 UEFA Cup Final all played in Istanbul. At the youth-level, they hosted the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 2008, after first hosting the event back in 1993.

Medals (1923-2024)

As of 1 April 2024

Turkish Football Federation gain 45 medals of 900 events.

Presidents

As of 16 June 2022

Controversies

Non-recognition of past national championships

The TFF organized a nationwide championship as early as 1924. That year the Turkish Football Championship (Turkish: Türkiye Futbol Şampiyonası) was held in order to bring forth a national football champion. The championship format was based on a knockout competition, contested between the winners of each of the country's regional leagues. Some years later, in 1937, the first national league called Millî Küme was introduced. The league was held until 1950, one year before the Turkish Football Championship was also abolished.

Even though both competitions were organized by the TFF and were official championships respectively, they are not acknowledged and counted by the very same federation which held them. Until today no official reason or motive was given for the unparalleled and irregular denial. All other football associations in Europe without exception consequently acknowledge their former national championships. The Turkish Federation is the only one with such a stance.

As a result, Ankara Demirspor became the first club to officially demand the federation to acknowledge their championship title won in 1947, but received no answer at all to date. Club president Nuğman Yavuz stated that he contacted the Turkish Federation twice, but the federation did not respond in any way. Similarly, Fenerbahçe also requested proper acknowledgement of these national championship titles, and faced the same unconstructive reaction. Having won a total of nine titles in both former championships, the club demands to have those official titles rightfully acknowledged.

In addition to requesting proper acknowledgement of the titles, Fenerbahçe's kit for the 2023-24 season includes a badge with 5 stars above which can't be worn in league matches because it is against the regulations of the federation and they did not give permission to play with them, likely in the hopes that the TFF will recognize their pre-1959 championships, also notably on the club's website the 28 championships are listed as if they were official likely as an act of protest against the TFF's lack of recognition of the pre-1959 titles.

For instance, Mehmet Demirkol, a renowned sports writer and commentator, stated that Beşiktaş won their 20th championship title overall in the 2016–17 season, not their 15th. Numerous other sports writers, persons of authority, politicians, and officials also openly expressed their opinions on this issue and reinforced the view that the Turkish federation should unambiguously acknowledge and count the former championship titles. Among them is also historian and headmaster of the Galatasaray High School Vahdettin Engin.

According to historians' analysis of the 2002 Turkish Football Federation Arbitration Court decision, which stated that the Turkish League Championships began before 1959 and the championships before 1959 cannot be left uncounted.

2023 melee during MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match

On 11 December 2023, melee occurred during a match between MKE Ankaragücü and Çaykur Rizespor which involved fans being able to successfully invade the playing field's pitch. Six people, including MKE Ankaragucum club President Faruk Koca, were arrested for assaulting a referee. The referee, Halil Umut Meler, was hospitalized following the assault. The next day, Koca resigned from MKE Ankaragucu and the Turkish Football Federation decided to suspend all league games in Turkey indefinitely. Meler, who suffered a minor facial facture and eye injury, would be discharged from the hospital on 13 December. The same day, it was announced that the suspension of league games would end on 19 December 2023.