Göztepe A.Ş.

Football club infobox
clubname = Göztepe


fullname = Göztepe Sports Club
nickname = Göz Göz Tam 35
founded = 14 June 1925
ground = İzmir Alsancak Stadium
capacity = 15,737cite web| url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=530&stadID=111 | title=Turkish Football Federation Information Pages | accessdate=2008-07-12]
sponsor =
chairman = Flagicon|Turkey İsmail Hakkı Gül
manager = Flagicon|Turkey Mustafa Fedai
league = TFF Third League - Group 2
season = 2008-09
fansgroup =
position =
shirtsupplier = Umbro
shirtsponsors = Alpet
pattern_la1=_Goztepe 1st
pattern_b1=_Goztepe 1st
pattern_ra1=_Goztepe 1st
leftarm1=FF0000
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rightarm1=FF0000
pattern_sh1=_Goztepe 1st
pattern_so1=_Goztepe 1st

pattern_la2=_Goztepe 2nd
pattern_b2=_Goztepe 2nd
pattern_ra2=_Goztepe 2nd
leftarm2=FF0000
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pattern_sh2=_Goztepe 1st
pattern_so2=_Goztepe 1st

Göztepe A.Ş. are a Turkish sports club in Güzelyalı, İzmir. Göztepe were the first Turkish football club to ever reach a semi-final in a European Cup Competition in 1968.

The club enjoyed their best success between the years 1963-1971 under the supervision of the legendary coach Adnan Suvari. Their famous 11 during this period of success is still remembered today: Ali Artuner, Mehmet "Junior" Işıkal, Çağlayan Derebaşı, Hüseyin Yazıcı, Mehmet "Senior" Aydın, Nevzat "English" Guzelırmak, Nihat Yayöz, Ertan Öznur, Fevzi Zemzem, Gürsel Aksel, Halil Kiraz.

Göztepe lived through immense financial troubles since 2002. Due to the inability to reduce their outstanding debt, the football club have been banned from signing new players, which resulted in a drastic free fall with the team being relegated 4 times in the last 5 seasons. On April 21st, 2007, they lost their last home game 2-0 against Aliağa Belediyespor in Turkish 3rd Division and were relegated to the Izmir Super Amateur Division.

On August 20th, 2007, the club have been sold in an auction to an Istanbul based business conglomerate Altınbaş Group. The new owner, businessman İmam Altınbaş, has vowed to take Göztepe back to the Turkish Super League, making them one of the top five clubs in Turkish football. The new owners of the club have been first received by the local fan base with some suspicion, although there have been recent calls for solidarity and cooperation under the new ownership.

Göztepe are one of the last examples of an authentic neighborhood club, located in the Güzelyalı neighborhood of Izmir. They have one of the most devoted and die-hard fan bases in Turkey, despite their recent downfall. In terms of their fan base and attendance figures for their games, they are behind only the three Istanbul giants (Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş). Even their games in the Amateur Division attract more fans than most clubs in the Turkish Super League.

The team competed in the Turkish Amateur Championship for the 2007-2008 season but were eliminated by Ayazağaspor after a 6-5 penalty kick shootout in Eskişehir. However, Aliağa Belediyespor merged with Göztepe, so that they took place of Aliağa Belediyespor's in the Third League on June 18, 2008. They will play in TFF Third League - Group 2 in 2008-2009 season.

The main rivals of Göztepe are another Izmir club, Karşıyaka S.K.. When the two teams played on May 16th, 1981 while pursuing the Turkish Second Division title, the game attracted an audience of 80,000 people. The Guiness Book of World Records recognizes this milestone as a world record for a Second Division football game and The Guardian published an article named "The biggest non-top-flight attendance ever" [cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/dec/06/theknowledge.sport | title=The biggest non-top-flight attendance ever | publisher=The Guardian | date=December 06, 2006] including this match. The game was a 0-0 draw, but Göztepe were crowned champions a week later when they beat Balıkesirspor 3-2 at home, while Karşıyaka slipped against Bandırmaspor.

League Participations

First Level (Now Turkcell Super League): 1958-1977, 1978-1980, 1981-1982, 1999-2000, 2001-2003

Second Level (Now Bank Asya First League): 1977-1978, 1980-1981, 1982-1999, 2000-2001, 2003-2004

Third Level (Now TFF Second League): 2004-2005

Fourth Level (Now TFF Third League): 2005-2007, 2008-2009

Super Amateur League: 2007-2008

Participations in TSL and Cups

:

Pos. = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Won; D = Drawn; L = Lost; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; Pa. = Participation; Pld = Matches played SCUP = UEFA Super Cup; ECCC / UCL = European Champion Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League; UCWC = UEFA Cup Winners' Cup; UCUP = UEFA Cup ("including" Inter-Cities Fairs Cup); UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup

Total Standings of "TSL" Participations "(1959-2007)"

"Last updated: June 12, 2007" [cite web| url=http://www.turkfutbolu.net/tumligler/edebipuan.htm | title=Total Standings of 49 years in Turkish Super League | accessdate=2008-07-19tr icon]

Notable former players

flagicon|Turkey Turkey
* Ali Artuner
* Mehmet Işıkal (Junior)
* Çağlayan Derebaşı
* Hüseyin Yazıcı
* Mehmet Aydın (Senior)
* Nevzat Güzelırmak (English)
* Nihat Yayöz
* Ertan Öznur
* Fevzi Zemzem
* Gürsel Aksel
* Halil Kiraz
* Ali İhsan Okçuoğlu
* Mehmet Türkkan (Fuji)
* Özer Yurteri
* Ali Çağlar (Junior)
* Sadullah Acele
* Atalay Alsan
* Hasan Çelik
* Mustafa Özkan
* Kurthan Yılmaz
* Aykut Canik
* Bülent Uygun
* Metin Diyadin
* Ceyhun Eriş
* Servet Çetin
* Zafer Biryol
* Bülent Ataman
* Ersen Martin

;flagicon|Argentina Argentina
* Eber Dario Fernandez

;flagicon|Brazil Brazil
* Rogerio de Mello
* Sergio Custadio de Oliviera Junior

;flagicon|Czech Republic Czech Republic
* Ludek Zdrahal

;flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo DR Congo
* N'Dayi Kalenga

;flagicon|France France
* Kamal Ouejdide
* Rachid Djebaili

;flagicon|Ghana Ghana
* Richard Kingston
* Joseph Amoah

;flagicon|Hungary Hungary
* Péter Kabát

;flagicon|Morocco Morocco
* Reda Ereyahi

;flagicon|Paraguay Paraguay
* Emilio Aldama

;flagicon|Poland Poland
* Radosław Majdan

;flagicon|Slovakia Slovakia
* Miroslav Barcik

;flagicon|South Africa South Africa
* Helman Mkhalele
* Pollen Ndlanya

ee also

*TFF Third League - Group 2 (2008–09)
*Göztepe's Match Details in TFF Third League (2008-09)

References

External links

* [http://www.goztepe.org.tr Official website]
* [http://www.yali.org Yalı website]
* [http://www.goztepelist.org Göztepelist website]
* [http://www.goztepeuniforce.org Uniforce website]
* [http://www.gozgoz.net GözGöz.net website]
* [http://www.tam35.org Tam35.org website]
* [http://www.tam35goztepe.net Tam35Göztepe.net website]

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf7XA-_h8Bg British TV Documetary about rivalry between Göztepe and Karşıyaka]