Fine imposed on Amedspor exposes Turkish authorities’ policy

Turkish authorities have once again imposed a financial penalty on Amedspor Football Club over the appearance of a Kurdish-language phrase on the team’s official jersey. The incident comes at a time when the country has entered a new phase of the "Call for Peace and Democratic Society," following the appeal by Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan on February 27 of this year, which called for resolving the Kurdish issue.

1 October, 2025 18:40

NEWS DESK

The Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) in Turkey has fined Amedspor 110,000 Turkish lira over the team's use of a jersey featuring a Kurdish-language slogan reading “Our Team is for You” during their match against Sakaryaspor. The committee claimed the fine was issued under the pretext of “violating equipment regulations.”

The same committee had previously imposed a similar fine on the club for wearing the same jersey in a match against Sarıyer, citing the same reason the use of Kurdish language.

These punitive measures come at a time when Abdullah Ocalan has called for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue and an end to exclusionary policies, urging recognition of Turkey’s cultural and linguistic diversity through his “Call for Peace and Democratic Society.”

The fine imposed on Amedspor for using Kurdish on their jersey is a stark example of the contradiction between official peace rhetoric and ongoing discriminatory practices. While Ocalan advocates for coexistence and democratic reform, Turkish state institutions continue to suppress Kurdish cultural expression, raising serious questions about the government’s sincerity in responding to political solution initiatives.

ANHA