A decade ago, the city of Diyarbakir was marred by violent clashes between the military and Kurdish fighters, leaving local institutions in a precarious position. Among those caught in the turmoil was Amedspor, the city’s prominent football club, which found itself the target of state pressure and severe hostility. Today, the club represents a stark transformation, currently holding second place in the Turkish Super Lig after ten matches—a remarkable achievement for a team that only recently earned promotion from the third tier. A decade on, a peace process is under way between the government and the PKK, and Amedspor – in their first season in the top-flight after successive promotions – are second in the Super Lig after 10 games. Not only in Diyarbakir, but it was becoming increasingly popular among Kurds across the country. Their red cards were not fair,” he told, their penalties were not given. “But now this system at least is not stopping them.”. With some provocatively displaying yellow body bags and images of F16s in reference to the darkest days of the conflict with the PKK, there has been hostility shown by rival fans this season.
Vahap Coskun, an academic from Diyarbakir and author of a book on the team, noted that Amedspor’s success has exceeded all expectations. Much of this performance is credited to an experienced coaching staff led by Besnik Hasi and a revitalized squad. Notably, Nigerian striker Gift Orban, aged 24, has become a standout performer with nine goals in ten league appearances. The team has also been bolstered by consistent home support, with sellout crowds exceeding 30,000 spectators contributing to an unbeaten streak in their six matches at the Diyarbakir Stadium. According to coskun, There are several factors behind the success this season; an experienced and canny coach in Besnik Hasi, and a mostly new squad of players performing above expectations, including the 24-year-old Nigerian striker Gift Orban, who has scored nine goals in 10 games so far.
However, Coskun argues that the club’s current momentum is deeply tied to a broader softening of the political climate in Turkey. This shift has improved conditions for the team, ranging from the fairness of refereeing decisions to the treatment of players during away fixtures. Reha Ruhavioglu, director of the Kurdish Studies Center, suggests that Amedspor’s current position serves as a weekly barometer for how the state and society engage with Kurdish identity, culture, and language. The club was hit with fines and bans on away supporters and outspoken players, as fighting raged between the state and groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). And its fans, players and officials were attacked by rival supporters, its premises were raided by antiterrorism police. Coskun denied this undermines the club’s sense of Kurdishness.
The club’s history is one of resilience. Founded in 1972 as Melikahmet Turanspor, the team endured decades of anonymity in lower leagues before being acquired by the local municipality in 1990. Their rise toward national prominence began around 2013, when they secured promotion to the third division. A name change to Amed—the Kurdish term for Diyarbakir—and the adoption of red, green, and yellow colors marked a bold assertion of identity, despite long-standing state restrictions on expressions of Kurdish culture. Amedspor was formed as Melikahmet Turanspor in 1972 and later passed through various name changes and was taken over by Diyarbakir’s municipality in 1990. And the following year caused a stir after renaming themselves with the Kurdish word for Diyarbakir – “Amed” – and adopting the red, green and yello, the club gained promotion to the third tier for the first time in 2013. Especially after the separatist PKK launched an armed uprising against the Turkish state in 1984, expressions of Kurdish culture and language have long been suppressed in Turkiye. “When you see the bigger picture, it is going well,” he said. According to indeed, 61 percent of Kurds in the survey, They support the Turkish national team when it plays.
During the peak of the conflict in the mid-2010s, Amedspor faced frequent police raids, match bans, and verbal assaults from politicians.
Despite these obstacles, they achieved notable cup victories, including a 2015 win over Galatasaray. Following the initiation of a new peace process in late 2024 and the formal dissolution of the PKK’s armed struggle in May 2025, the institutional pressure on the club has eased significantly. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ally Devlet Bahceli even extended congratulations following the club’s promotion to the Super Lig earlier this year. They claimed a 2-0 victory away at Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup, in January 2015. In 2015-16, as conflict raged in Turkiye’s southeast, they reached the quarterfinals of the Turkish Cup, beating Super Lig sides Basaksehir and Bursaspor along the way.
Journalist Bagis Erten of Oksijen newspaper observed that the current political landscape prevents the systemic punishment previously leveled against the club by football authorities. While issues of bias in officiating plagued previous campaigns, the current system allows the club to compete on a more level playing field. Research by the Kurdish Studies Center further highlights this transformation, showing that support for Amedspor has quadrupled to four million people, establishing it as the most widely supported club among Kurdish adults in Turkey. Research published by the KSC in March 2026 found that Amedspor’s support had quadrupled to four million among Kurdish adults in Turkiye over four years – even before the promotion to the Super Lig – and that the club had become the best supported among Kurds in the country. “Especially when we talk about the football federation and referees, [Amedspor] were always treated very badly in previous years.
Despite this progress, the environment remains fragile.
During a recent victory against Besiktas, fans utilized the Kurdish chant “Kurd in em!” (We are Kurds!) and displayed a tifo reading “EM HATIN” (We are here). Another stand thunders in response: “Kurd in em!” (We are Kurds. Which Amedspor won 3-2, a tifo featured the words “EM HATIN” (We are here), at a recent game against Istanbul giants Besiktas.
While some rival supporters have engaged in provocations, including references to past military conflicts, Ruhavioglu insists that the broader trend of normalization is positive.
He also notes that the fanbase is not monolithic; while many support the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, others hold diverse political views.
Ultimately, the club acts as a symbol of identity rather than a political entity, with fans prioritizing the survival and success of the team as a legitimate football project. Its survival looked uncertain, in the years that followed.
