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‘We are here’: Kurdish club Amedspor shakes up Turkish football
Amedspor, the Kurdish club from Diyarbakir, have risen from years of political pressure and lower-league football to second place in Turkey’s top division after 10 matches. Their success comes as a new peace process eases tensions, and has made the club a test of whether Kurdish identity can be accepted in Turkish public life.
The club was founded in 1972 and adopted the name Amed, the Kurdish name for Diyarbakir, in 2014. It has faced fines, supporter bans and hostility, but its support among Kurdish adults in Turkey grew fourfold to four million over four years, according to research published in March 2026. Striker Gift Orban has scored nine goals in 10 matches, while Amedspor’s 30,000-plus home crowds have helped them win all six home games; victory at leaders Galatasaray could take them top.
In short
- Amedspor are second in Turkey’s top flight after 10 matches.
- The Kurdish club’s support has grown to four million.
- A win at Galatasaray could take them top.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Amedspor’s success shows that Kurdish identity can be part of Turkey’s shared public life, and that a club using a Kurdish name can compete on sporting merit. Supporters may see recognition of the name and fair treatment of the club as ordinary inclusion, especially after years of pressure and hostility.
The case against
Others may worry that a football club’s association with Kurdish identity could deepen political tensions or turn sport into a proxy for disputes over national unity. They could argue that clubs should be treated consistently under common rules and that public institutions should avoid appearing to endorse any political claim, while still opposing unfair treatment of players or supporters.