Coach Arda Turan, the former star coach of the National Team, who coaches the Ukrainian representative Shaktar Donetsk and also represented our country in Atletico Madrid and Barcelona for years, thanked Göztepe for supporting his team’s home match against Lech Poznan in the UEFA Conference League to be played in Izmir. While Shaktar Donetsk is playing its home matches in the European arena in Poland this season due to the Ukraine-Russia War, which has been going on for 4 years, Arda Turan announced that they want to play their rematch with the Polish team Lech Poznan, with whom they were paired in the UEFA Conference League Round of 16, at Gürsel Aksel Stadium in Izmir on March 19, at home.
Göztepe Honorary President Mehmet Sepil, the yellow-red management and the fans also supported Arda Turan’s statement, “We would like to play the Lech Poznan match in Izmir, at Gürsel Aksel Stadium.” While Mehmet Sepil said, “We would love to host Shaktar Donetsk and Arda Turan at our home, we would be very happy,” Göztepe fans invited Arda Turan and Shakhtar Donetsk to the city before the Eyüpspor match played yesterday at Gürsel Aksel Stadium in the Super League. Before the match, Göztepe fans opened a “Our Home Is Your Home” banner in the marathon tribune and said “Our home is your home” to Arda Turan, stating that their doors were wide open.
ARDA TURAN: OUR HOME IS YOUR HOME TOO
In his post on his Instagram account, Arda Turan thanked Göztepe Honorary President Mehmet Sepil, Kerem Ertan and Talat Papatya for their hospitality and said that he will not forget their support throughout his life. Arda Turan said, “I would like to thank Göztepe Honorary President Mr. Mehmet Sepil, Kerem Ertan and Talat Papatya for inviting us to Izmir with all their hospitality after my statement yesterday and making us feel that we have a home there, and to Göztepe fans for the support they gave both on social media and in the stadium today. We will not forget the support you gave me and my team today throughout our lives. In your words, “Our home is your home”; but I want you to know that from now on “Our home is yours too.” “your home,” he said.
THE UEFA MATCH WAS PLAYED IN IZMIR 23 YEARS AGO
While the UEFA Conference League match between Shaktar Donetsk and Lech Poznan was on the agenda to be played in Izmir upon the request of Arda Turan, the city also hosted the UEFA Cup match 23 years ago. On September 29, 2003, the UEFA Cup qualifying match between the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa and the Slovenian representative NK Celje was played at Izmir Alsancak Stadium during the second Intifada of the Palestinian resistance. While the Israeli team won the match 2-1 and passed the round, the match, which was planned to be played by the same team against the Spanish representative Valencia at Alsancak Stadium on 27 November, was moved to the Netherlands due to the terrorist attacks that took place in Istanbul on 15-20 November. UEFA will make the decision regarding the Shaktar Donetsk-Lech Poznan match.
