Back in March this blog was the only place in the English-speaking world were you could have picked up news on Nusaybin Demirspor's financial plight.
Nusaybin doesn't often get into the news. The only time I can remember was a few years ago when the Yanks set up a logistics base in the town for the invasion of Iraq only to pull out when the Turks didn't give them permission to open a northern front
That was trivial of course compared to the drastic action the chairman and players took to protest the fact that no one was putting money into the team. They went on a hunger strike.
I hadn't heard any news out of the south-east concerning Nusaybin Demirspor and so I just assumed they must have got their money or the whole lot must have starved to death by now.
But alas no. The Anatolian news agency today reported that the club has decided to pull out of the Third division due to financial constraints. It appears that the hunger strike was abandoned at around about lunch time but they still couldn't get the dosh.
According to the new chairman (not sure what happened to the bloke who was in charge when the hunger strike was called) Nusaybin Demirspor representatives went searching for Nusaybin businessmen seeking to drum up some sponsorship money but managed to only bag 6,200 TL. (about 3,300 euros).
"We don't have the strength to give money to our footballers," complained Chairman Servet Talayhan.
"Due to financial reasons we will withdraw from the league. To those businessmen who call themselves Nusaybin(ites) I say: If everyone had thought about their duties the club would not be in this position. With two of my colleagues we went to Gaziantep, Adana, Mersin, Ankara and Istanbul and individually visited Nusaybin businessmen. But from all of these provinces we managed to collect only 6,200 TL. What can we do with that amount of money?"
My immediate thought to the last question was 2,480 beers at the Chopin, but I get the point.
So the poor buggers are dropping out of the third division. I reckon its time they go on another hunger strike.
The Round Ball in Ankara! Dedicated to football lovers in Ankara (Except for those who follow Osmanlispor)
It is always sad to see footie teams folding because of various reasons, eg, financial, lack of supporters, lack of interest, etc.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they can re-group in the future if Reha Muhtar makes the team the subject of one of his television programmes ??!!
I recall with sadness the demise of some of Scotland's famous old teams who suffered the same fate, eg, Third Lanark and Clydebank.
Clydebank have managed to re-group but as a Junior (semi-professional) team.
Where there is a will there is a way, and no doubt Oz Kanka will keep his journalistic eye on developments.