The two teams meet in the interim round of the European tournament. In November, AZ and the Turkish record champion were also opposite each other: then it became 1-1 after an exciting match. Mehmet was also there, Incognito between the AZ fans.
His love for Galatasaray started at the age of twelve. But now that he has been living in Alkmaar for about 25 years, he is also infected with the AZ virus. “I am a real Alkmaarder and therefore also a fan of AZ,” he says. When asked for whom he welcomes tonight, he has to laugh. “My heart is for Galatasaray. I have three great love: my wife, my daughter and Galatasaray.”
At the previous game he managed to get a ticket, but tonight he is not in the stadium: he has to work. He will not let the return match in Istanbul pass by. “My family there arranges a ticket for me.”
Cheer for the rival
In the past, his colleague breath was a fan of Stadgenoot and arch -rival Fenerbahçe. Nowadays he no longer has that much with football, but he still feels proud when a Turkish club plays a European game. He puts his hand on his heart while he tells it. “That is very different from the Netherlands. A Feyenoord fan will never cheer for Ajax, but in Turkey we will support each other when we play European football.”
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