Sivasspor

Sivasspor 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.

Sivas, the city that hosts the team, is the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of a quarter of a million people. It has a great historical importance, since the foundations of the modern Turkish Republic were laid there during the Sivas Congress in 1919. The city contains several important buildings from the Seljuk period, with particularly fine stonework in ornate fronts.   

Although the team was created back in 1967, it wasn’t until the 2005-2006 season that Sivasspor earned a spot in the Turkcell Super Lig, finishing at the eighth position at the end of that tournament, becoming contenders for a UEFA Cup spot. The organization is presided by Mecnun Otyakmaz, and the team, which hosts an important contingent of Brazilian players, is coached by Karol Pecze. Sivasspor plays at the 4 Eylul field, which has capacity for fifteen thousand people, sporting a red and white uniform.