Vestel Manisaspor

Vestel Manisaspor is one of the eighteen teams that constitute the Turkcell Super Lig, the Turkish Premier Super League. This is by far the most popular sporting competition in the country, and it is managed by the Turkish Football Federation, formed in 1923. Established in 1959, the Premier Super League plays its teams against each other in two half seasons. At the end of the league season, the bottom three teams are relegated to the Secondary League Category A. The champion and the runner-up represent Turkey at the UEFA Champions League the following year. Additionally, the teams of the Premier Super League participate along with the 36 teams of the Secondary League for the Fortis Turkey Cup, which yields two slots for the UEFA Cup. Turkish teams are limited to six foreign players. 

Manisa, the capital of the province of the same name, is the city that houses Vestel Manisaspor. It has a relatively small population of barely 214,345, but a wealth of history that goes as far back as 500 B.C. The city was the training ground for crown princes, so nowadays it houses many examples of Ottoman architecture, as well as Seljuk. In March, the city holds the annual Mesir Macunu Festival, which features prominently the spiced candy, in honor of Ayse Sultan, as well as the Vintage Festival in September, when the fruits and the vineyards are celebrated.

Vestel Manisaspor was created in 1931 with the Sakaryaspor name, which was later changed to Manisaspor in 1965 and more recently, with the signing of a contract with Zorlu Holding in 2001, the team adopted its current name. The team, also called Tarzanlar (“Tarzans”) by their fans, is presided by Haluk Cubukcu and coached by Ersun Yanal. Playing at the Manisa Mayis 19 Stadium and sporting a black and white uniform, Vestel Manisaspor finished at the twelfth position in 2005-2006 season of the Turkcell Super Lig.