ISTANBUL (Medyascope) – On Saturday (May 2), Diyarbakır’s Amedspor secured a promotion to Turkey’s top-level Süper Lig for the first time in its history following a 3-3 tie with Iğdır FK. The result secured Amedspor’s second-place positioning in the 1st League, the second tier of Turkish football, leading to automatic Süper Lig promotion. Diyarbakır is widely seen as the cultural capital of Turkey’s Kurdish minority, and Amedspor’s promotion was celebrated throughout Turkey as well as in the Kurdish diaspora across Europe.
Amedspor’s securing of the second place in the second-tier league was also the result of a tie between Esenler Erokspor and Pendikspor, who finished 1-1 in the last match of the season.
Amedspor, which competed in Turkey’s third-tier league until the end of the 2023-2024 season, had finished the 2024-2025 season in ninth place in the second-tier league.
The club’s Mbaye Diagne scored his 29th goal of the season in Saturday’s match against Iğdır FK, giving him the highest goal total in Turkey’s second-tier league since Marco Paixao reached the same number in the 2018-2019 season.
Police confuse Diagne’s Senegalese flag for Kurdish
Following Saturday’s result, Amedspor star Mbaye Diagne displayed the flag of his home country of Senegal for a post-match photo op. Security personnel at the game immediately surrounded Diagne, confusing his Senegalese flag for the ethnic flag of Kurdistan, which shares similar colors.
Due to the decades-long conflict between Turkish forces and the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), the Kurdish flag is strongly associated with the PKK in Turkey, despite the fact that the PKK actually uses a separate flag.
Amedspor President speaks to Medyascope
On Monday (May 4), Amedspor President Nahit Eren spoke to Medyascope correspondent Ferit Aslan about the club’s promotion to the Süper Lig.
“In the past, Amedspor was the victim of attacks and discrimination,” Eren said, referencing a rule at the beginning of the season banning Amedspor fans from attending away games. “Of course, these rules were lifted at some point, but we continued to be the victims of attacks by local fans while playing away games. We witnessed hate speech directed at Amedspor in numerous stadiums.”
Asked about Amedspor’s role in the ongoing Kurdish peace process, Eren said: “Throughout the process, we noticed that certain measures directed at Amedspor, such as bans at away games, eased up a bit. The distance we felt between the team and certain members of society seemed to lessen a bit.”
“But I wouldn’t characterize these changes as ‘positive discrimination’ for the club. On the contrary, I’d say that the solution process has made it possible for the club to enjoy a degree of normalcy that we wouldn’t otherwise have.”
Regarding Amedspor’s imminent promotion to the Süper Lig, Eren mentioned the club’s enormous popularity, saying the team can fill stadiums not just at home games but also on the road.
Amedspor
Amedspor, previously known as Diyarbakır Municipality Sports Club (Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyespor), changed its name in 2014, leading to issues with the Turkish Football Federation, Turkish nationalists, and authorities. Amed is the Kurdish name for Diyarbakır, the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey.
The name change, as well as its enormous popularity among Kurds in Turkey and in the diaspora, have contributed to the club’s status as a symbol of Kurdish identity.
The club has faced issues throughout its existence for allegedly promoting Kurdish nationalism. Fans of the club have been periodically banned at away games, and the Kurdish flag and language are also banned at Amedspor games. Clashes between Amedspor fans and Turkish nationalists have been reported at games throughout the club’s existence.
Following Amedspor’s promotion on Saturday, several politicians released statements congratulating the club, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, as well as members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party.
Written/Translated by Leo Kendrick for Medyascope
