The Spor Toto Super League may not have come to an end yet, but Beşiktaş confirmed their 15th league title on Sunday after a comfortable 4-0 drubbing of Gaziantepspor. With one more week to go in the league, the Istanbul giants have successfully defended their throne and made sure they added the long-awaited third star on their jersey. The Black Eagles now have 74 points to their names and are champions with a match in hand. In Sunday's match, the already-relegated hosts Gaziantepspor had no options but to surrender in front of their ambitious rivals, in a contest that was only a formality for the Anatolian team.
However, for Beşiktaş, Sunday's win has marked many 'firsts' as Şenol Güneş, the former Trabzonspor goalie, became the first Turkish coach to pin a star on Beşiktaş's jersey and successfully defend the league title. Moreover, Beşiktaş President Fikret Orman became the first head to oversee two consecutive title wins, following the footsteps of club legend Süleyman Seba, who had won three consecutive titles in the '90s.
For Beşiktaş fans, this title will mean a lot more, since it finally fulfills their dreams of adding a third star to their jersey. Every five title allows a team to add a star their jersey, just above the team's emblem. The Black Eagles crosstown rivals have already claimed the stars. In fact, Galatasaray pinned their fourth star in 2015 with their 20th championship while Fenerbahçe have been stuck at three stars since 2001. Beşiktaş, the oldest yet least decorated among the "big three" of Turkish football, will now directly qualify for the Champions League while Başakşehir, who are placed second with a four-point deficit, go into the qualifying rounds. The jubilation of Beşiktaş fans was the world away from the mood of third-placed Fenerbahçe and fourth-placed Galatasaray, the other two big Istanbul clubs.President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Sports and Youth Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç all congratulated Beşiktaş.
Meanwhile, Beşiktaş Chairman Orman said, "I thank everyone for their contribution. Our cup will come to Istanbul while we play against Osmanlıspor next week. We will shortly announce our title celebration programs."
Şenol Güneş has become the fourth Turkish coach to win two consecutive Super League titles.
"I am proud of my all players. We are happy because we deserved this championship. We repeated our success and it was not easy. My goal as Şenol Güneş is to keep up the good work," Coach Güneş said.
With Güneş, Turkish coaches' title-winning run in the league has increased to 10. The last time a foreign coach enjoyed title was back in 2006-2007 season when Fenerbahçe's Brazilian coach Arthur Zico won it. Since then all titles were won by teams under Turkish coaches.
Başakşehir, on the other hand, only founded in 1990, are on the verge of making their first ever appearance in the Champions League. They had qualified for the Europa League preliminary after finishing fourth in the league the last two seasons.
In the meantime, Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 against Trabzonspor at home in the other match of the evening. Trabzonspor, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next season, have failed to qualify for any European competitions. Fenerbahçe, on the other hand, increased their points total to 61 to remain in third place with one more game left.
