A Not-So-Friendly Match Between ‘Old Turkey’ and ‘New Turkey’: Turkish Football and Stadiums as a Domain of Hegemonic Struggle

Abstract The Turkish Football League has been the stage of a struggle between the secular ‘Old Turkey’ and neo-Ottomanist/Islamist ‘New Turkey’. Despite having established an authoritarian regime and concentrated power in his hands, football stadiums are still places of resistance against and a source of anxiety for President Erdoğan. Those who feel the need to protest against interference with their lifestyle by the governing Islamist party exhibit their reactions in stadiums with chants expressing their loyalty to Atatürk. In that respect, Erdoğan has been particularly interested in establishing his hegemony in the sports sector, which would allow him to break one of the last bastions of resistance against his rule. For that purpose, Erdoğan resorted to draconian measures to stifle the growing voices of protest while he embarked on the creation of a neo-Ottoman and conservative memory as well as inspiring the fascination of the masses by constructing new stadiums. However, one unexpected development was witnessed: the resurrection of Atatürk.