Ankaragücü loses survival bid
KARABÜK - Hurriyet Daily News
Ankaragücü players look dejected as Kardemir Karabük players celebrate their winning goal in a Spor Toto Super League match between the two relegation-battlers. Karabük won the game 3-2, bringing Ankaragücü’s survival hopes to an end. AA photo
Ankaragücü became the first team to be relegated from the Turkish top-flight following a 3-2 defeat to Kardemir Karabük on Feb. 26.The team hailing from Turkey’s capital city was downed in a dramatic battle and lost all chance of surviving in the Spor Toto Super League with six matches left in the season.
Ankaragücü remained on the bottom of the 18-team standings with only 11 points from 28 games after suffering its ninth loss in a row.
Manisaspor, which has 29 points, and Samsunspor, with 26 points, are also currently battling to get out of the relegation spots.
The win helped struggling Kardemir Karabük jump to 13th spot with 34 points.
The relegation of Ankaragücü, a century-old club who has been in the top-flight for the last three decades, comes as no surprise since the club has been battling with a depleted squad due to administrative troubles since the start of the year.
Several players were sent from the club to offload wage budgets at the beginning of the season but a bigger blow came in January when about 10 players left the club due to unpaid wages.
The club was trying to continue its desperate bid for survival with several players promoted from the reserve and youth squads
