Servet Cetin Leaves Fenerbahce

Defender Servet Cetin has been transferred to Turkish rival Sivasspor, it was announced this week. Cetin was a quality defender for Fenerbahce, but recently lost his place in the starting lineup and would most likely see less time on the pitch with the new acquisitions. Best of luck to Servet Bey with Sivasspor.

Profile of Deivid de Souza

Career resume of Deivid de Souza:

- Played his first professsional game with Brazilian club Nova, in 1998.
- Transferred to Italian club Lecce in 1999.
- Returned to sign with Brazilian club Santos in 1999.
- Transferred to Corinthians in 2001.
- Won the Top Goal Scorer of Brazil in 2002.
- Signed for Cruzeiro in 2003.
- Won the Brazilian League Championship and Brazilian Cup with Corinthians in 2003.
- Transferred to French team Bordeaux, in 2003.
- Returned to play for Brazilian club Santos in 2004.
- Transferred to Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) in 2005.

Quotes from the Newest Transfers

Edu Dracena, regarding his signing with Fenerbahce:

"I didn’t think twice when Fenerbahçe came in with an offer. There are plenty of people that I know here at Fenerbahçe. I’m happy to be here and I’m sure we’re going to see happy days."

Mateja Kezmen, regarding his new deal with Fenerbahce:

"I have signed with a well known club, not only in Turkey but in Europe". I know the club will be celebrating it’s centenary year this season. We want to get good results and lift the UEFA Cup."

Deivid de Souza Arrives in Istanbul

New Fenerbahce striker Deivid de Souza arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday to undergo his physical examination. Upon passing the physical, de Souza will sign his contract with Fenerbahce Wednesday morning at 11 AM (Istanbul time). De Souza is expected to make his Fenerbahce debut next weekend vs. Antalyaspor.

Edu Drecana Signs Four-Year Deal with Fenerbahce

Edu Drecana passed his physical examination on Monday and officially inked a four-year deal with Fenerbahce on Tuesday. It was also determined that he would wear the jersey #36 for the Yellow Canaries. Edu is expected to make his Fenerbahce debut next weekend at home against Antalyaspor.

Eduardo de Souza Arrives in Istanbul

The newest Fenerbahce Yellow Canary, Eduardo Luiz Abonizio de Souza arrived in Istanbul on Monday for his physical. De Souza is expected to officially sign with Fenerbahce on Monday or Tuesday as well.

Fenerbahce to Face Randers FC in UEFA Cup

After the UEFA Cup Draw on Friday, it was learned that Fenerbahce will face Randers FC from Denmark at the 1st Round of UEFA Cup. The first leg will be played on September 14th in Istanbul. The second leg will be on September 28th in Denmark.

Some background information on Randers FC courtesy of Wikipedia:

Randers FC is a Danish football team playing in Randers. The team plays in the Danish Superliga.
Last season, 2005-06, they were lying reasonably comfortable at the top spot of the 1st division for much of the year, but was caught by Vejle Boldklub, at the end of the season. They won the Danish Cup by beating Esbjerg fB in the final.
The club was formed in 2002 as a merger between Dronningborg BK (founded 1928), Hornbæk SF (founded 1945), Kristrup BK (founded 1908), Randers Freja (founded 1898), Randers KFUM (founded 1920) and Vorup FB (founded 1915), continuing Randers Freja's (at the time) 1st division-team.
In the summer 2005, they bought former Danish national midfielder Stig Tøfting on a free transfer, after Aarhus GF, his childhood-club, refused to let Tøfting play for them (even for free), because of his violent background with several sentences.

Mateja Kezmen Data

Background information and resume for Mateja Kezman:

Played first career game with Zemun, in 1995.
- Transferred and played for Partizan Pirot, FK Loznica and Sartid, in 1995-1996-1997
- Scored his first career goal with Sartid, in 1997.
- Transferred to Partizan Belgrade, in 1998.
Had his first European Cup match with Partizan in UEFA Cup, in 1999.
- Had his first international debut against China, in 2000.
- Awarded as the Yugoslav player of the year, in 2000.- Awaded as the Yugoslav League Top Goal Socrer, in 2000.
- Transferred to PSV Eindhoven, in 2000.-
Had the nickname “Batman” during the time he spent with PSV.
- Announced his retirement from international football for Serbia & Montenegro after a draw against Azerbeijan, in 2003.
- Won the UEFA Cup top goal scorer award, in 2004.
- Transferred to Chelsea, in 2004.
- Returned to the international football with Serbia & Montenegro, in 2004.
- Won the Premiere League and League Cup with Chelsea.
- Transferred to Atletico Madrid, in 2005.
- Had 30 Champions League Appearances and 3 goals.
- Had 17 UEFA Cup Appearances and 10 goals.
- Scored 105 goals in 122 matches with PSV Eindhoven in 4 seasons.
- Signed a four-year contract with Fenerbahce in 2006.

New Transfers for Fenerbahce!

Aziz Yildirim got his checkbook out late last week in bringing a bundle of new transfers to Kadikoy. After the signing of Diego Lugano, Fener obtained former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezmen from Atletico Madrid. Kezmen's transfer was quickly followed by the acquiring of fellow striker, Brazilian Deivid de Souza from Sporting Lisbon. After acquiring both of these players, Fenerbahce obtained defender Eduardo Luiz Abonizio de Souza from Cruzeiro. Kezmen arrived in Istanbul over the weekend, and Eduardo is expected to arrive on Monday to sign with Fenerbahce. Kezmen signed a four-year deal with the Yellow Canaries.

Fenerbahce Falls 2-1 to Sakaryaspor

After a disappointing Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kiev, Fenerbahce again came out flat on Sunday and dropped a 2-1 decision to Sakaryaspor in Sakarya. Fenerbahce's only goal came in second half stoppage time from Selcuk Sahin. The game was tied 0-0 going into the half in new transfer Diego Lugano's first game. Sakarya struck first at the 56th minute with a goal from Okan. Their second goal came in stoppage time from Musa Aydin. The game also marked the third and final game of Stephen Appiah's suspension. Tumer Metin and Can Arat received yellow cards in the game.

Fener must now look ahead to this weekend's matchup at Sukru Saracoglu against Antalyaspor. For the first time this season, Fener should have its regular lineup nearly complete. In addition to Stephen Appiah's return, new transfers Diego Lugano, Eduardo Luiz Abonizio de Souza, Mateja Kezmen, and Deivid de Souza should all be in the lineup. Fabio Luciano is again expected to sit out with an injury.

Perennial Crybaby Anelka Finally Gone!

Fenerbahce's resident cancer Nicolas Anelka has finally gotten his wish and will sign with English side Bolton for approximately $15 Million US Dollars. The deal was completed on Thursday evening and Anelka will join his new English teammates this weekend.

The 27-year-old Anelka was a bust for Fenerbahce, never playing at the level he played at for Manchester City and Liverpool. His tenure at Fenerbahce was riddled with complaining, whining, selfishness, and refusals to practice. Anelka now leaves the aggressive futbol of Turkcell Super Lig to play in the more passive English Premiership, accompanying his style of running away from competition rather than facing it.

Fenerbahce has become a better club today by ridding itself of Anelka.

Fenerbahce vs. Sakaryaspor on Sunday

After Wednesday's disappointment in the UEFA Champions League qualifying, Fenerbahce will now turn its focus to their next Turkcell Super Lig opponent, Sakaryaspor. It was announced that the game will be this Sunday, 27 August. Fenerbahce currently sits atop the Turkcell Super Lig with nine points; four points ahead of second-place Galatasaray.

UEFA Cup Draw Coming Friday

The official UEFA Cup Draw will be held on Friday, with Fenerbahce coming in as a seeded team. The picture will begin to clear up a bit after tonight's UEFA Cup results.

Fenerbahce Eliminated from UEFA Champions League

Fenerbahce tied Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday 2-2, which eliminated the Yellow Canaries from the UEFA Champions League on a 5-3 aggregate. Fener received goals from Stephen Appiah and Kerim Zengin, while Shatskikh scored both of Kiev's goals. The draw eliminated Fener from Champions League and now moves them to the UEFA Cup, where they will begin as a seeded team. Fener should learn of their opponent during the UEFA Cup Draw on Friday.

The team's biggest weakness, the defense, failed again on Wednesday. With Diego Lugano ineligible and Fabio Luciano injured, the Canaries looked for help from Umit Ozat, Onder Turaci, Can Arat, and Kerim Zengin. However, the defensive back four were often out of position and appeared lost much of the time. The offense also sputtered despite a rocket goal from Stephen Appiah to tie the match.

With 52,000 screaming Fenerbahce fans in attendance, an undeniable home pitch advantage was expected but much like the first leg, Kiev struck first with a goal only five minutes in. Appiah's goal tied the game, but Shatskikh scored again for Kiev five minutes later to put them ahead 2-1. The second goal made the aggregate difference an uphill battle and seemed to take the life out of Fenerbahce.

With another disappointment in Champions League, Fener must now put the game behind them and look toward their upcoming match with Sakaryaspor on Sunday. Diego Lugano is expected to make his Fenerbahce debut in the game.

Lugano Training, May Join Team Wednesday

Newest Canary Diego Lugano has joined the team for training, and one report has stated that he may play for Fenerbahce as early as Wednesday against Dynamo Kiev. Lugano was at Sukru Saracoglu on Saturday for the 2-1 win over Caykur Rizespor, and began practicing and training with the team on Sunday. His deal was official after he passed his physical exam over the weekend. Reports indicate that Fenerbahce paid Sao Paulo approximately $8 million for Lugano.

"I will do my best to be successful in Turkey and to make the fans happy" stated Lugano, who was voted "Best defender in South America" last year.

Bolton Close to Signing Anelka?

This is from ESPN SoccerNet...

Fenerbahce drag heels on Anelka deal
Bolton's attempts to seal a deal for Nicolas Anelka to make his Premiership return are being thwarted by Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Anelka, 27, has claimed agreement in principle on a four-year contract with the Trotters and Sam Allardyce has confirmed discussions with the French forward are at an advanced stage.
However, the Bolton manager has cautioned against expectation the deal is on the brink of completion, pointing out Anelka's current club are not proving to be the easiest negotiating partners.

'There is no point in trying to hide that we are interested in Nicolas but we are in the hands of Fenerbahce,' said Allardyce.

'We would like Nicolas Anelka and we are flattered he would like to join us, as he has said.
'The deal has been negotiated for a considerable period of time but we can't quite get the president of Fenerbahce to put the rubber-stamp on it.

'Hopefully, it will be done sooner rather than later. But, until Fenerbahce tell us we can go on with the deal, we are in their hands.'

Anelka certainly seems optimistic the transfer will be concluded and he will be cleared to join his fourth English team after previous spells with Arsenal, Liverpool and, latterly, Manchester City.
It is reported that Bolton have offered around £8million for the 27-year-old.

'My wish is to return to the Premiership and it's about to materialise,' said Anelka told L'Equipe.
'I have agreed with Bolton the terms and conditions of a four-year contract.

'My desire to join this club is very strong and I hope everything will be sealed at the start of this week.'

Allardyce was hoping the transfer would remain secret until it had been formally finalised.
Now, the Bolton boss is faced with the worry of knowing rival clubs could attempt to wreck the deal by trumping the north-west side with a big-money offer of their own.

'Once something like this becomes public, it concerns me,' he said. 'We would like Nicolas Anelka but when it becomes public, it only alerts other clubs, who might join the race and spoil all the hard work we have done.

'There is nothing we can do about that now, other than keep my fingers crossed.'
Meanwhile, Wanderers midfielder Gary Speed has signed a new two-year deal to remain at the Reebok Stadium until the summer of 2008.

The 36-year-old former Wales international, who joined Bolton from Newcastle in 2004, has made over 70 appearances and scored five goals for the club.

'Gary's top-flight experience is second to none and is vital to this football club.
'He has been with us for two seasons and during that time he has been exceptional for us.'

Fenerbahce Defeats Caykur Rizespor 2-1

Fenerbahce moved four points ahead of rivals Galatasaray with a 2-1 win over Caykur Rizespor on Saturday. Fenerbahce received a goal from Alex de Souza at the 45th minute and another goal by Tumer Metin at the 54th minute to go up 2-0. Caykur Rizespor scored at the 77th minute to cut the lead in half, but Fenerbahce ultimately prevailed.

The win gives Fener nine points and sole first place in the Turkcell Super Lig. Galatasaray finished the weekend with a 2-2 draw vs. Manisaspor and sits in second place with five points.

The game was somewhat overshadowed by the one player not playing today. Newest Fenerbahce defender Diego Lugano was in attendance to watch his new side win and plans to join the Canaries next week. Zico and his men were also without the services of Fabio Luciano, who is still nursing an injury.

More photos, stats, and analysis coming soon from Saturday's game...

English Side Bolton Interested in Anelka

English side Bolton of the English Premier League has expressed interest in Fenerbahce forward Nicolas Anelka. However, the club president believes Bolton is "not quite big enough" to attract Anelka from a club like Fenerbahce. Anelka has not played for Fener since week one and it is widely speculated that he has played his last game as a Yellow Canary. Bolton is reportedly interested in several players due to their lack of confidence in landing Anelka.

Zafer Biryol Signs with Bursaspor

Former Fenerbahce Yellow Canary Zafer Biryol has signed a deal with Turkish side Bursaspor this week. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Biryol was once the Super Lig's leading scorer. Before joining Fenerbahce, Biryol played for Turkish side Konyaspor.

Turkiye Defeats Luxembourg 1-0

In an international friendly, Turkiye defeated Luxembourg on Wednesday behind the magnificent play of Fenerbahce star and newest Turk, Mehmet Aurelio. The game marked Aurelio's first as a Turkish national and the last friendly before Turkiye begins Euro 2008 qualifying next month. Fatih Terim's side will have a few weeks off before their next game in September.

Galatasaray Ends in 1-1 Draw - Chance for Fener to Move Up

Galatasaray ended its game Saturday with Manisaspor in a 1-1 draw on the road, giving GS their second draw in three Super Lig games so far this year. Should Fener defeat Caykur, it would give the Yellow Canaries another chance to separate themselves from their Istanbul cross-town rivals heading into game four.

Lugano Signs; Arrives in Istanbul

Fenerbahce completed the signing of Sao Paulo and Uruguayan national defender Diego Lugano this week. Lugano arrived in Istanbul to sign the paperwork and join the team late in the week. Lugano met with his teammates prior to the game Saturday against Caykur Rizespor and is attending the game in Istanbul.

Aurelio to Start for Turkiye vs. Luxembourg

Turkish national manager Fatih Terim announced on Monday that newly-appointed Fenerbahce star Marco "Mehmet" Aurelio will start for Turkiye in their international friendly vs. Luxembourg on Wednesday. This will mark the first time in history that a foreign-born player will play for Turkiye. Aurelio has lived in Turkiye for five years and just recently was awarded Turkish citizenship. It was announced by Terim last week that Aurelio has been chosen to the squad.

Lugano, Oliveira on the Way?

Various media reports out of Turkiye and Uruguay indicate that Diego Lugano and his Sao Paulo teammate Ricardo Oliveira are on their way to joining Fenerbahce. Although Fener has yet to release terms or confirm the deal publicly, all sources indicate that Lugano's deal is complete and he will join Fener after he fulfills his duties in La Copa Libertadores. Oliveira is still highly coveted by Spanish side La Betis.

Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim has publicly stated that he is determined to sign Real Madrid's Roberto Carlos, despite Carlos's public statements indicating that he will stay with Real. Carlos has been in the US playing on a Real Madrid tour and has not commented publicly on the Fenerbahce rumors. Yildirim was in Ankara on Saturday for Fener's game vs. Genclerbirligi, but left abruptly to tend to business in Istanbul, fueling speculation of the Carlos transfer rumor....

Fenerbahce Falls to Dynamo Kiev, 3-1

Fenerbahce suffered their first loss under new manager Zico on Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine. Fener's lone goal came from the feet of Marco "Mehmet" Aurelio just as the second half had begun. Dynamo scored in the first minute of the game to take an early 1-0 lead.

The game was plagued with fouls and penalties, and Stephen Appiah, Umit Ozat, and Serkan Balci all received yellow cards. Serkan later received a red card at the 75th minute, just after Dynamo had scored to go up 2-1. After Serkan's dismissal, the short-handed Canary defense was no match for Dynamo and the Ukranian side scored again at the 82 minute to go ahead 3-1.

The three goals given up by Fenerbahce were the first goals allowed of the Zico era. The shaky defense once again proved the need for another defensive transfer for Fenerbahce.

Fener returns to action again this Saturday in a Turkcell Super Lig showdown against Genclerbirligi in Ankara. Fenerbahce will host the second leg of the Dynamo matchup on 23 August in Istanbul.

Dynamo Second Leg Date, Time Announced

The second leg of the Fenerbahce vs. Dynamo Kiev match was announced recently. The game, at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul, will be played on Wednesday, 23 August at 2 PM EST.

Gameday vs. Dynamo Kiev

Gameday is finally here....Fenerbahce takes on Ukranian power Dynamo Kiev in a Champions League qualifier. The game will take place at 12:00 EST in Kiev. This will undoubtedly be Fenerbahce's toughest test thus far. However, the Yellow Canaries' offense has been on fire so far, outscoring their opponents 15-0 under the management of Zico in three games. This offensive output has been surprising, as many expected the departure of Marcio Nobre to Besiktas to negatively impact Fener.

Fenerbahce's defense will have its hands full with Dynamo today, led by striker Ruslan Rotan. Rotan scored two goals in Dynamo's last game vs. Metalurgs. Turaci and Arat will have to step up big to help Recber maintain a clean sheet today for Fener.

Other Fenerbahce Notes:

*Fabio Luciano returned to training earlier this week, but is still not training with the team. He is recovering from an injury and hopes to re-join the lineup soon.

*Deniz Baris returned to the team for the first time this week following the untimely death of his wife. Baris's two children watched practice from the sidelines accompanied by their uncle.

*Stephen Appiah was reportedly devastated by his red card on Saturday, so much so that he couldn't sleep the evening of the game. Zico and Appiah had a brief meeting at the next day's practice where Zico encouraged him to put the incident behind him.

*Nicolas Anelka has supposedly "moved on" from his transfer rumors and is in good spirits about playing this season in Istanbul. Anelka was reportedly unhappy and encouraged by the various transfer rumors linking him to English side Portsmouth, but he has now come to the realization that he will likely finish this season in Istanbul. Sources close to the team say he is in good spirits.

Fenerbahce Crushes Kayseri Erciyesspor 6-0

Fenerbahce opened the Turkcell Super Lig centennial campaign with a resounding 6-0 thrashing of Kayseri Erciyesspor on Saturday. The Yellow Canaries used goals by Alex de Sousa (3), Tuncay Sanli, Tumer Metin, and Murat Hacioglu to overwhelm the Kayseri side. Rustu Recber was phenomenal in goal in keeping a clean sheet for the Fenerbahce opener. Defender Stephen Appiah was given a red card at the 32 minute for head-butting an opponent. After the match, Appiah stated that the opponent was using "derogatory and racist" language toward him throughout the match.

New manager Zico commented “It was a great game for us. We dominated throughout, except for a momentary lapse in focus when Appiah was sent off, but my players got back in the game pretty quickly after that. We scored some beautiful goals, while our defenders worked well together to make up for Appiah's absence.” Zico also had high praise for reserve Mehmet Yozgatli: “Mehmet went all out for his team and showed everyone his extraordinarily strong team spirit. He set an example for the rest of the team." Yozgatli has played magnificently off the bench for Fener.

In three games under the management of Zico, Fenerbahce has outscored its opponents 15-0. It was expected that the Fenerbahce offense may struggle a bit this year after the departure of Marcio Nobre to Istanbul side Besiktas, but Tuncay Sanli and Alex de Sousa have picked up the slack, along with Besiktas transfer Tumer Metin. Another striker may be on the way soon to assist the Canaries' offense.

Fenerbahce now turns its attention to Wednesday's crucial third-round UEFA Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev. Wednesday's first leg will be played at Dynamo's home in the Ukraine. Fenerbahce also returns to action this weekend in the Turkcell Super Lig against Genclerbirligi.

Transfer News

English side Portsmouth has reportedly targeted players other than Nicolas Anelka for their upcoming Premiership season, according to various media outlets including ESPN.com. With Portsmouth off the table, it looks highly probable that Anelka will remain a Yellow Canary for this season. Additionally, various media outlets are reporting that Uruguayan national Diego Lugano has indeed been officially signed by Fenerbahce, but must fulfill a few duties with Sao Paulo before arriving in Istanbul.

Another report this morning indicates that Fener President Aziz Yildirim is targeting Brazilian playmaker Ricardo Oliveira to join Fenerbahce. Stay tuned for more details...

Buy the New Shirt!

Just a quick note.....while Fenerium is busy, you can also buy the new shirts from a great webstore that I highly recommend. I have a link at the side, or you can purchase the shirts directly here: http://cgi.ebay.de/NEU-FENERBAHCE-2006-2007-100-YIL-TRIKOT-NEU_W0QQitemZ260016817164QQihZ016QQcategoryZ115782QQcmdZViewItem

More Photos from the New Fenerbahce Kits

Here are more photos of the new Fenerbahce 100th Anniversary kits. These photos are courtesy of Fenerbahce (www.fenerbahce.org).

Date, Time Announced for Champions League Round 3 Match

The date and time for Fenerbahce's UEFA Champions League third-round game against Dynamo Kiev was announced on Friday. The game will take place at 7 PM (Istanbul time) on Wednesday, August 9th in Kiev, Ukraine. This is approximately 12:00 Noon EST in the U.S. The second leg will take place at Sukru Saracoglu in Istanbul on either August 22nd or August 23rd. As soon as the date and time are officially announced, I will report it here.

English Side Portsmouth Interested in Stephen Appiah

English Premiership side Portsmouth has expressed interest in Fenerbahce defenseman Stephen Appiah, according to English media and Turkish media Milliyet. President Harry Redknapp has also previously expressed interest in Nicolas Anelka. No deal appears to be close just yet. Stay tuned for more details.

Fenerbahce Unveils New Anniversary Kits

Fenerbahce today unveiled the new 100th Anniversary kits live on Fener TV in Turkiye. The home shirt is a reversible combination of the navy and yellow stripes, with a gold reverse side. The away shirt returns to the very popular white shirt that was used two seasons ago, but with an updated adidas design. In addition, the shirts feature a collar on them. The shirts are now available for sale through Fenerium - www.fenerium.com/tr.

Fenerbahce to Unveil New Kits This Weekend

Fenerbahce will unveil new kits this weekend in their game against Kayserispor. The traditional navy and yellow will remain, but the kits will have a different look than last season. adidas remains as the manufacturer and Avea will continue to be the sponsor. Pictures of the new kits will be posted here soon, so stay tuned...

Fenerbahce 5, B36 0

Fenerbahce dominated the second leg of Champions League qualifying on Tuesday with a resounding 5-0 win over B36 Torshavn from the Faroe Islands. Fener had goals from Tuncay Sanli (44:00), Mehmet Yozgatli (49:00) Can Arat (79:00), Semih (82:00, and Murat Hacioglu (90:00).

Fenerbahce wins the matchup with a 9-0 goal differential and advances to the next round to play the winner of Dynamo Kiev and Metalurgs. Dates and times for the game have not been announced yet. Fener must now turn their attention to the start of the Turkcell Super Lig this weekend. The Yellow Canaries play Kayserispor on Saturday at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Kadikoy.