Dear Galatasaray and Besiktas Fans...

I knew it would only be a matter of time before the hate mail from Galatasaray and Besiktas fans began to pour in, and I was correct. However, if you are a fan of either of those teams, or a fan of Trabzonspor, Genclerbirligi, or any other Turkish team, first of all - welcome. I really mean that. I hope you'll look around, because what you'll find may surprise you. This is a website dedicated to Fenerbahce, but it is not a site dedicated to bad-mouthing or trash-talking Galatasaray, Besiktas, or any other Turkish teams.

I am going to say something that may not sit well with a lot of Fenerli's, but it is true: I don't hate GS or BJK. Yes, we have fantastic rivalries and I think we are part of the world's best derbies, but I don't hate your clubs. You need us and we need you. Turkish futbol is not just Fenerbahce or Galatasaray or Besiktas. We need you, Kayserispor. We need you, Genclerbirligi. We need all of us because Turkish futbol is not on the international stage it should be....and can be. If there is anything that rivals my passion for Fenerbahce, it is my desire for the success of Turkish futbol. I want to see each of us do well in European competition. I want to see the Milli Takim win Euro 2008 and show the world that World Cup 2002 was not a fluke. I want to see the best Turkish players in the world turn down offers from other European clubs to play in Turkiye.

For this to happen, it is going to take all of us. Denizli fans, go support Denizlispor by going to a game. Ankaragucu fans, wear your team shirt proudly as if your team was as big as any club in Europe. We need you. We Fenerbahce fans don't just want a Turkcell Super Lig title. We want a UEFA Champions League title. But for us to do that, we need Galatasaray, Besiktas, Trabzonspor, and each team to maximize their potential.

The travesty that happened last weekend at Ali Sami Yen was tragic, to say the least. As I wrote in a previous article, it's easy for us to point fingers. But we all have crazy fans that go way over the line. Inonu has them and unfortunately, so does Sukru Saracoglu. I fell in love with Fenerbahce for many reasons, one of the biggest being the passion and intensity of the Fenerli's. But the fact is that ALL of us need to stop throwing objects at players and focus on making our clubs bigger and better. Throwing rocks, batteries, and chairs onto the pitch during play doesn't scream "Come to Turkiye and play for us" to the best players in Europe.

So Galatasaray and Besiktas fans, thanks for visiting my website. I became a Fenerbahce fan because I love this club, not because I hate BJK or GS. You may not want to admit it and we don't like to say it either, but we need each other. Those of you that know me know that my career field is sport management, and I hope, Insallah, to be working in Turkiye within a few years. I hope one day when I am there Turkish futbol grabs headlines around the world for our play and our passionate fans, rather than what the world saw last weekend. We need a united Turkcell Super Lig for that to happen, and it starts with us - the fans.