Fenerbahçe fans to march to Anıtkabir for ‘justice’

ANKARA

Fenerbahçe fans will march to Anıtkabir, the tomb of the Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in another “justice rally” on March 23.

The club held a “justice rally” in Istanbul last month, following the Supreme Court of Appeals’ withholding the verdicts in a match-fixing case. Chairman Aziz Yıldırım and fellow officials have been found guilty of attempting to manipulate some games in the 2010-2011 championship.

Fenerbahçe fans and officials, however, have claimed all throughout that the club was victimized as part of a plot that was seeking to dethrone Yıldırım.

Fans have pointed the finger at Turkey’s Islamist government and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, and chanted, “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers,” in games, to show support for the late President as a symbol of secularism.