Letter from Beşiktaş Fans to Barcelona About Arda Turan

Click to read the article in Turkish

A Beşiktaş fan group, Beleştepe, has sent a letter to Barcelona club about its player Arda Turan, who supported a “yes” campaign prior to a referendum in which people will vote constitutional amendment draft that proposes presidential system.

Football players including Arda Turan and Burak Yılmaz joined the campaign that was launched by Rıdvan Dilmen, an ex-football player and now a commentator.

Stating that Barcelona is more than a football club, Beleştepe addressed to Barcelona as “Children of those who fought fascist Franco”.

"It clashes against Barcelona culture and its philosophy"

According to Evrensel newspaper’s report, the letter penned in Turkish and Spanish said:

“Hello Barcelona, which is more than a club.

“Children of those who fought fascist Franco.

“Hello Catalonian people.

“We are calling on you from Arda Turan’s country Turkey.

“We will try to explain why Arda Turan has become our common agenda.

“The constitutional amendment draft, which imposes a strongman regime, will be presented via referendum to Turkey’s people in April 2017.

"With these amendments, all power will be consolidated in one person, all opposition will be suppressed and destroyed. Now even without worrying about hiding its teeth, fascism will starkly impose heavy crackdowns on our peoples.

"Our country’s citizen and your club’s player Arda Turan, like some other Turkish football players, announced that they will vote yes in the referendum and called on the society on the social media to do the same.

"We as Beşiktaş fans come from a tradition, which maintains a stance that stipulates players of our club be good people first. For this reason, many “good” players were sacked from our club in which many average players managed to become our legends.

"Departing from the thought that Barcelona community who lined behind the slogan “No Pasaran” will think similar to us, we’ve wanted them to understand Arda’s mindset.

“This mindset is racist, sectarian, anti-secular. This mindset is warmongering and arrests peace defenders. This mindset is misogynist, considers women second class citizens. This mindset is thief, their names are involved in corruption. In addition to all these crimes, it aims to consolidate all power within themselves by means of the new constitution and to suppress the opposition and people.

“So, this is the mindset which Arda Turan says ‘yes’.

“That is why it clashes against Barcelona culture and its philosophy.

“Hope to meet with a Barcelona without Arda Turan in İstanbul.

“ ‘No Pasaran’

“NO!

“The Beşiktaş fans favoring peace and freedom”. (EKN/TK)