Amed Sportif Faaliyetler Kulübü,[2] commonly known as Amedspor, is a sports club based in Diyarbakır, Turkey. Formerly named Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyespor, its football section plays in the TFF First League since the 2024–25 season.
History
The club was established in 1972 and competed in the amateur leagues for many years as Melikahmet Turanspor, because of a sponsorship with Turan Gazozlar. The club colours were red and white. In 1985 the club name changed into Melikahmetspor after the naming rights/sponsorship had ended.[3]
The Diyarbakır municipality bought the club in 1990 and changed its name to Diyarbakır Belediyespor. In 1993 the club changed its name into Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyespor, after becoming a metropolitan municipality.[4]DEHAP mayor Feridun Çelik changed the club name in 1999 to Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi DİSKİspor in order to generate income from Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi (DİSKİ). At the beginning of the 2010–11 season the general assembly decided to alter the name once again into Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyespor.
In October 2014, they changed their name to Amedspor without official approval, and therefore had been fined by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).[5] The objection of the TFF was because of the existence of the original Amedspor, which later on changed its name into Amidaspor.[6][7] However, when the team changed its name to Amed Sportif Faaliyetler Kulübü, TFF announced that it accepted this new name.
In early 2016, Amedspor pulled off an upset win over Bursaspor to make it into quarterfinals of the Turkish Cup.[9] After this victory their fans were banned from the following match against Fenerbahçe S.K. by the TFF because of ideological propaganda.[10] The TFF also suspended their midfielder Deniz Naki 12 games for ideologically supporting the separatistPKK (in a tweet) and unsportmanslike conduct[11] and fined him with 19.500 TL (~$6500).[12] Also the police raided the club's offices taking their computers on suspicion that a politically controversial Tweet might possibly have originated from there.[13]
According to an interview which the German newspaper Die Zeit held with their representatives, the club experienced difficulties as the club was seen as a symbol of Kurdish nationalist identity by the TFF and Turkish authorities. The flag of Kurdistan is banned from the stadiums and since December 2015 the fans of Amedspor were banned from watching the away games in the regular season. After the ban about 500 fans went to watch their team without showing the colors of their team, but as they showed their emotions for their team when it scored a goal, they had trouble with the fans from the opposite team and the police and they had to leave before the end of the match.[14] From January 2016 to February 2019 the fans were banned to watch away games from the male football team for 64 games. Fans of the Amed S.K. women's team were not allowed to watch away games from 2018 to February 2019.[15] Also merchandise articles of the fans are also often seized by the police.[14] Amedspor also has a women's volleyball team.[16]
In October 2022, Diyarbakir Bar Association has filed a criminal complaint against a military officer who is the commander of the gendarmerie force in the central province of Afyon, told the players of Afjet Afyonspor that he hoped, especially after a PKK terror attack in Mersin, that they would crush the opponent.[17]
The TFF Second League White Group 2022-2023 season encounters between the clubs from Bursa and Diyarbakır caused once again animosity. In September 2022 the guest Bursa side came and left the stadium within armored vehicles. During the warming-up fans of Amed S.F.K. threw stones at the footballers of the Green Crocodiles and some home supporters invaded the pitch. The same spectators threw also a knife to the Bursa goalkeeper. The stands showed the Kurdish flag and as tensions ratched up police officers were attacked by the home fans outside the stadium.[18]
Before the return match played on 5 March 2023, Amedspor players were attacked and some Bursaspor fans unfurled banners of Mahmut Yıldırım, codenamed as Yeşil (Turkish for "Green"), a Turkish rogue agent who is responsible for unresolved murders and photos of "Renault Toros" automobile, symbolizing forced disappearances and political murders in Turkey in 1990s. The Arbitration Committee of the TFF punished Bursaspor with 6+1 games without fans and club officials were banned from football activities for a period of 90 days.[19]HDP said: “We condemn the racist attacks against Amedspor in Bursa. The atmosphere in which the spirits of the murderers of the 1990s and the residues of JİTEM roam will neither prevent Amedspor nor end the hope for peace. Those responsible must be held accountable before the law. We are the millions who will not kneel against fascism.”[20]Diyarbakır Bar Association, in its criminal complaint regarding the events in the match, stated that crimes of inciting or humiliating the public to hatred and hostility, intentionally endangering general security, insulting and abuse of office were committed.[21]
