According to one of the most distinguished historians in Turkey, Prof. Vahdettin Engin, violence in Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe derbies started in the early years of football in the country. Engin says the first ultra-violent game was recorded in May 10th, 1929, while the two teams were fighting for the championship. The game was reports in the newspapers like this:

"Mehmet Nazif and Kemal from Galatasaray and Kadri from Fenerbahçe were taken to the hospital because of broken legs and arms. Added to that, fans invaded the pitch and almost all the players were injured. Nevertheless, Galatasaray won the game 2-1 and became the champions of the Turkish League."

This is obviously not the type of derby you can see nowadays. Nevertheless, violence is still very present and brutal in the Turkish league. Tough games have always been a rescuer for most Turkish coaches who struggled to find a decent strategy. Thus, it is not a surprise that the very first thing that foreign players say after their first game is the "Turkish League is very physical and brutal." Former Galatasaray coach Frank Rijkaard even accused some Turkish players of playing like a "butcher." However, despite the all disturbances about this kind of game style and it's profound effect on hooliganism, it was Rijkaard and others who shared his ideas who were sacked from Turkish football.

Of course, violence in Turkish football did not come about by chance, it was actively supported by the elites in football who had to antagonize the masses in order to protect their position. Just like authoritarian regimes, they justified their existence by the existence of their enemies. Almost all Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş etc. chairmen and executives used this tactic and they continue to use it. Seeing as none of those chairmen and executives were not involved in football before they got their positions R their clubs and almost all of them were involved with the state, their behavior was very familiar. Every military junta in Turkey organized chaos to pave the way for a coup d'etat.

However, when it comes to the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe derby, hatred and violence just gets out of control. In the last decade at least one of the two Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe games were interrupted by players fighting on the pitch or, as we saw in extreme examples, fans bombarding the players then invading the pitch. Therefore, game quality was never a priority for both teams in the past. Players could not stay calm under pressure and coaches often compensate for their strategic deficiencies by overly motivating their players. Thus, it is almost impossible to consider this game as part of the whole season. Even if one side was obviously better than the other before the game, the conjectural atmosphere of the game equalizes chances.

Given these facts, I neither expect a joyful match for the fans, nor a strategic battle between two coaches. Both Hamza Hamzaoğlu and İsmail Kartal will probably concentrate on the weaknesses of their opponent that they can make use of. Seeing as losing is not an option for both sides, defensive worries will overcome the positive game play. Both coaches will not hesitate to sacrifice their creative players, who do their coach's work in the pitch, in order to defend properly. On the offensive side, everything will depend on occasional opportunities and dead balls.

Otherwise, if a miracle happens at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium and at least one side plays bravely and positively, still that side can be crucified by the media. In case of a defeat, while the winner is praised for his cunning and astute strategy, the other side is criticized for its "foolish" bravery. I think this also gives us some clue about who also supports violent and negative football in Turkey. Finally, I hope I will be wrong, but I expect a miserable 90 minutes for both sides, and a lot of "red."