Bursaspor set Turkey alight as Fenerbahce fans torch own ground

Amy Lawrence: A fiery conclusion to the Turkish league season took Bursaspor into the Champions League
Bursaspor players and team members celebrate their championship victory in Bursa
Bursaspor's players and team members celebrate clinching the Turkish league title after Fenerbahce drew with Trabzonspor and Bursaspor beat Besiktas. Photograph: Reuters

When Michel Platini summoned the spirit of Robin Hood to redesign the Champions League by giving a helping hand to Europe's disenfranchised, his philosophy was plain to see. Promoting the cause of the footballing serfs at the expense of the richest aristocrats is no easy task. So it will please him no end to see some clubs taking it into their own hands to depose the usual suspects.

Following in the footsteps of such sides as Rubin Kazan (Russia) and CFR Cluj (Romania), there are a couple of Champions League newcomers who have already banked their golden ticket for the group stage. Ongoing English interest in the career of Steve McClaren means we know all about FC Twente's progress at the expense of the Dutch establishment. Last week that feat was emulated by unfashionable Bursaspor, who will be the first Turkish club from outside Istanbul to play in the Champions League having claimed their first ever title.

The night they clinched that honour, there were crazy scenes in two Turkish cities. Bursaspor, who had never even finished in the top three before, had led the Superlig for quite a while only to fritter away their advantage. They went into the final round of the season a point behind Fenerbahce, whose glittering history has the imprint of 17 Super Lig titles. The odds were stacked against Bursaspor. Spectacularly, they managed to do the business in their last match while Fenerbahce could only squeak to a draw. So much for the odds.

The twist in the tale saw delirious celebrations in Bursa and Istanbul simultaneously, because some bright spark with a microphone at Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu stadium announced (wrongly) that Bursaspor had faltered and they were champions. Such cock-ups do not get accepted in Turkey with the kind of stoicism observed at Manchester City in 1996, when they famously welcomed the "news" that they had escaped relegation by easing off for the last 12 minutes of a crucial game, a scene that turned tearful and melancholy when corrected scores from elsewhere condemned them. Miserable contemplation not really being the thing at Fenerbahce, their fans instead stormed on to the pitch, set fire to their seats, clashed with police and went on the rampage in the streets outside.

Bursaspor were presented with their trophy the following night. Almost 30,000 fans (10,000 more than the stadium's capacity) were there to see it and they were understandably overjoyed. With a budget of only €9m (£7.7m) – a fraction of the amount spent by the big three of Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas – they conquered all.

Their coach, Ertugrul Saglam, was always bullish about their chances. He called upon his players to "play with sacrifice" and they did everything required. In the run-in they faced two of the big three, drawing at Galatasaray before finishing off with a home win over Besiktas. They lost only one match in the Superlig since the winter break and were top scorers.

"I condemn all the people who say our rise is just coincidence," the former Besiktas coach said. "It's disrespectful to our efforts and the players, who have perfect character. Although they are not as high profile as our opponents, my players are very determined. That's what makes the difference between us and them. After taking pole position in the league during the course of the season, we believed in our hearts that we could win the title."

It is still an unlikely story. Bursaspor are only the second team from outside the Istanbul to win the Superlig. The last time it happened was 26 years ago, when Trabzonspor won the last of their six titles. Bursa is the fourth biggest city in Turkey, a two-hour boat journey from Istanbul, and the team have traditional working-class roots. Saglam built a team by polishing a couple of Turkish gems (four of their players have just been called up to join Guus Hiddink's squad) and inspiring signings who were mainly rejects from other clubs.

Among them is the Bulgarian keeper Dimitar Ivankov, who is a renowned penalty taker and one of the most prolific keepers in football history – he has more than 40 goals to his name. The Serbian Ivan Ergic was once signed by Juventus but never played for them and later went on to suffer depression. The Argentinian Pablo Batalla had done the rounds in South America and was signed from the Colombian league.

All joined together for the good of Bursaspor. They are known as the Green Crocodiles, and should they score any goals in the Champions League next year we will witness their reptilian goalscoring celebration, which sees the players line up and slither on their hands and knees in imitation of a crocodile's movement.

Exciting times ahead. Even if they have just been linked with a move for Marlon Harewood on a free transfer.

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