March 30 – One of Turkey’s oldest sports clubs, Karşıyaka TD in Ismir, has had the long-awaited Karşıyaka Stadium green lighted by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports and current AK Party İzmir Deputy, Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu, announced that administrative hurdles have been cleared and that local government can now begin work on the site.
The project, which has faced various delays over the years, has now been handed over to the municipality following revisions to the protocol requested by local officials.
“During the process, some regulation requests came from the municipality, and work was carried out in line with them. In the end, the joint-use protocol was approved exactly in the form the municipality desired. The Ministry will forward the official letter to the municipality. The municipality can now strike the first shovel at any moment,” said Kasapoğlu.
He highlighted that while other major stadium projects in the city, such as Alsancak and Göztepe, were completed despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Karşıyaka project faced opposition from previous local administrations. Nevertheless, he noted that foundational work worth abount 500 million liras ($112 million) had already been completed at the site.
“Our goal is the happiness of İzmir and its people. Our sports investments continue all across the city. As a son of İzmir and a Member of Parliament, we will continue to work with a production-oriented approach,” said Kasapoğlu.
The Karşıyaka community has been campaigning for a modern home ground for more than a decade.
The club, which currently plays in Turkey’s third tier, issued a statement saying: “As the Board of Directors, we would like to inform the public that we always prioritize the interests of Karşıyaka and that we will continue to resolutely defend the rights of our club… the necessary applications have been made for the 99-acre plot of land, which is of great importance for the future of our club, and that the process is being closely followed. We believe that positive developments that will please our community will take place as soon as possible…
“At this point, as Karşıyaka Sports Club, the great Karşıyaka fans, and the community, our eyes and ears are on the Ministry. We strongly urge the acceleration of the pending signing process for the realization of the stadium that Karşıyaka has longed for years, on behalf of our community.
“Our greatest wish is for Karşıyaka to have a stadium worthy of the town as soon as possible.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimorov, at [email protected]