Hatayspor

Hatayspor Kulübü, known as Atakaş Hatayspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in Antakya, Hatay Province. Hatayspor, founded in 1967 through a merger of three local clubs, aimed to promote sports and positive habits among youth. The team's colors symbolize nobility, purity, and peace. They won their first championship in 1969–70, earning promotion. Over the years, they faced relegations and promotions in lower leagues. They reached the Second League in 1989-90 and 1993, and finally promoted to the Süper Lig in the 2019–20 season.

Hatayspor

Full name	Hatayspor Kulübü
Nickname(s)	Güneyin Yıldızı (Star of the South)
Founded	23 July 1967; 57 years ago (1967-07-23)
Ground	Mersin Stadium (temporary venue)
Capacity	25,497
Coordinates	36°49′14″N 34°32′19″E
President	Nihat Tazeaslan
Head coach	Özhan Pulat
League	Süper Lig
2023–24	Süper Lig, 15th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Having played at the 25,000-capacity New Hatay Stadium until 2023, the team currently plays their home matches at Mersin Stadium because of the extensive damage 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes caused in Antakya.

In addition to its men's football team, which competes in the Süper Lig, the club also has a women's football team that competes in the Turkish Women's Football Super League.

History

Hatayspor was founded in 1967 through the merger of Kurtuluşspor, Esnafspor, and Reyhanlı Gençlikspor by the prominent figures of the city. The aim was to attract public interest through competitions and to help young individuals steer clear of negative habits. The team's colors are Maroon-White, with an additional third color, Laurel Leaf Green. Maroon symbolizes nobility, White represents purity, and Laurel Leaf Green signifies peace. The inaugural founding members of Hatayspor were Razık Gazel (President), Orhan Aksuyu (Vice President), Fatih Hocaoğlu (Team Captain), and Hüsnü Hataylı.

Hatayspor secured its first championship during the 1969–70 season under the guidance of coach İlker Tolon, earning promotion from the Third League to the Second League. Subsequently, in the 1975–76 season, the team was relegated to the Third League, but managed to reclaim a spot in the Second League by finishing as runners-up in the 1979–80 season. However, this stay in the Second League was short-lived as the team was relegated again in the 1982–83 season. Due to the elimination of the Third League, Hatayspor competed in the amateur divisions for a single year. In 1984, when the Third League were reinstated, the team was placed in the Third League. In the 1989–90 season, Hatayspor clinched the championship in their Third League group and gained promotion to the Second League . However, they faced relegation once more during the 1991–92 season. Remarkably, just a year after the relegation in the 1992–93 season, Hatayspor achieved another triumph by winning their Third League group and advancing to the Second League. During the 2007–08 season, Hatayspor experienced another relegation to the Third League. In the 2008–09 season, Hatayspor led the Third League Classification group and finished 6th in the Third League Promotion group, earning a spot in the Third League play-offs. Their first opponent was Ankara Demirspor. After a 1–1 draw in regular time and extra time, Hatayspor won 5–2 on aggregate, securing a place in the final against Yalovaspor. Despite taking a 1–0 lead in the final, they were defeated 2–1 and were eliminated. In the 2011–12 season, under the management of İsmail Batur, Hatayspor became champions of their Third League group with a week left to go and earned promotion to the Second League.

During the 2012–13 season, competing in the Second League Red Group, Hatayspor finished 2nd and qualified for the play-offs. Unfortunately, they lost the final match against Fethiyespor, narrowly missing the chance to reach the First League. They faced the same misfortune in the 2013–14 season, losing the final match to Alanyaspor in a penalty shootout, once again failing to secure promotion to the First League. In the 2017–18 season, under the management of İlhan Palut, Hatayspor became champions of the Second League and earned promotion to the First League after 16 years. In the 2018–19 season, now known as the First League, Hatayspor finished in 3rd place. They also made a mark in the Turkish Cup, defeating the First League Lig leader Gençlerbirliği 4–1 in the Round of 16, and further impressing by beating Süper Lig leader İstanbul Başakşehir with a solid 4–1 score at home in the Quarter-finals. However, in the Quarter-finals, despite an impressive performance that saw them score 4 goals to turn around a 2–0 deficit in the second leg against Galatasaray, they were eliminated due to an away goal rule after the aggregate score ended 4–4. In the Play-Offs to qualify for the Süper Lig, Hatayspor eliminated Adana Demirspor in the Semi-finals but lost to Gaziantep in the final on penalties, falling short of promotion to the Süper Lig.

In the 2019–20 season, Hatayspor clinched the championship with one week remaining and, for the first time in its 53-year history, achieved promotion to the Süper Lig.^[1] During the 2020–21 season, the team made its debut in the Süper Lig and had a successful season, maintaining a chance to qualify for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League until the final weeks. However, despite their efforts, they couldn't secure the opportunity, finishing the season in 6th place. In the 2020–21 season, Hatayspor's forward players excelled, with Aaron Boupendza scoring 22 goals to claim the top scorer title. Additionally, Mame Biram Diouf finished in second place with 19 goals in the top scorer rankings. In January 2022, the club launched a partnership with Philippines Football League club Dynamic Herb Cebu.^[2][3]

During the first of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, the club's quarters in Antakya collapsed, trapping players and staff. All were rescued except player Christian Atsu who died,^[4] and sporting director Taner Savut, whose body was found on 21 February 2023.^[5] Following the earthquake, the club withdrew from the league.^[6] Due to the circumstances of their withdrawal, they were allowed to reenter into the league for the 2023-24 season.

Rivalries

The team which Hatayspor most played against is Tarsus İdman Yurdu. So far, there have been 43 games between the teams. Hatayspor won 17 of 43, Tarsus Idman Yurdu won 15 of 43, and 11 games ended with draw.^[7]

Statistics

League participations

• Süper Lig: 2020–
• TFF First League: 1970–76, 1980–83, 1990–92, 1993–2002, 2018–2020
• TFF Second League: 1967–70, 1976–80, 1984–90, 1992–93, 2002–08, 2012–18
• TFF Third League: 2008–12
• Amateur League: 1983–84

League performances

Season	League	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
1967–68	TFF Second League	8	32	12	10	10	39	35	34
1968–69	TFF Second League – Red Group	6	26	10	9	7	28	26	29
1969–70	TFF Second League – Red Group	1	40	25	11	4	70	19	61
1970–71	TFF First League – Red Group	10	30	10	8	12	23	33	28
1971–72	TFF First League – Red Group	13	30	10	8	12	24	30	28
1972–73	TFF First League – Red Group	14	30	8	11	11	19	23	27
1973–74	TFF First League – Red Group	4	30	11	11	8	26	21	33
1974–75	TFF First League – Red Group	12	30	10	7	13	22	32	27
1975–76	TFF First League – Red Group	16	30	11	4	15	24	46	26
1976–77	TFF Second League – Blue Group	6	18	6	6	6	14	13	18
1977–78	TFF Second League – White Group	5	24	9	8	7	22	23	26
1978–79	TFF Second League – White Group	4	20	9	2	9	23	17	20
1979–80	TFF Second League – Group A	2	28	11	10	7	29	29	32
1980–81	TFF First League – Group C	5	30	13	5	12	38	32	31
1981–82	TFF First League – Group C	8	28	7	12	9	24	29	26
1982–83	TFF First League – Group D	12	30	8	11	11	26	31	27
1984–85	TFF Second League – 8th Group	2	18	12	2	4	28	7	26
1985–86	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	3	24	13	6	5	40	19	32
1986–87	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	4	32	11	17	4	31	21	39
1987–88	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	2	32	23	6	3	76	15	75
1988–89	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	3	30	16	9	5	67	29	57
1989–90	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	1	32	24	4	4	67	20	76
1990–91	TFF First League – Group C	10	32	10	10	12	39	48	40
1991–92	TFF First League – Group C	15	32	11	6	15	31	38	39
1992–93	TFF Second League – 3rd Group	1	30	20	7	3	68	25	67
1993–94	TFF First League – 5th Group	3	18	11	3	4	36	15	36
	TFF First League – 5th Klasman Group	5	14	5	3	6	21	17	18
1994–95	TFF First League – 5th Group	2	18	10	4	4	33	23	34
	TFF First League – Promotion Group	9	18	5	3	10	23	42	18
1995–96	TFF First League – 5th Group	7	18	6	4	8	21	27	22
	TFF First League – 5th Klasman Group	5	14	5	2	7	19	24	17
1996–97	TFF First League – 5th Group	3	18	7	6	5	28	30	27
	TFF First League – 5th Klasman Group	6	14	4	4	6	22	22	16
1997–98	TFF First League – 1st Group	4	18	7	6	5	25	22	27
	TFF First League – 1st Klasman Group	6	14	5	1	8	10	18	16
1998–99	TFF First League – 1st Group	8	18	5	4	9	20	28	19
	TFF First League – 1st Klasman Group	3	14	6	4	4	25	21	22
1999–00	TFF First League – 1st Group	5	18	6	8	4	26	18	26
	TFF First League – 1st Klasman Group	3	14	8	2	4	27	16	26
2000–01	TFF First League – 3rd Group	2	18	12	2	4	30	22	38
	TFF First League – Promotion Group	10	18	2	3	13	17	50	9
2001–02	TFF First League – A Category	16	38	12	9	17	43	43	45
2002–03	TFF Second League – B Category – Group C	2	32	23	6	3	76	30	75
2003–04	TFF Second League – B Category – Group C	3	32	17	7	8	64	42	58
2004–05	TFF Second League – B Category – Group C	6	32	14	5	13	32	35	47
2005–06	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Group	7	18	7	4	7	26	26	25
	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Klasman Group	2	32	16	7	9	53	40	55
	TFF Second League – B Category – Playoffs	Q.F.	1	0	0	1	1	2	0
2006–07	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Group	4	18	6	8	4	18	15	26
	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Klasman Group	3	32	10	14	8	28	25	44
2007–08	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Group	10	18	2	8	8	15	23	14
	TFF Second League – B Category – 5th Klasman Group	8	32	3	10	19	27	50	19
2008–09	TFF Third League – 5th Group	1	18	10	6	2	23	12	36
	TFF Third League – Promotion Group	6	18	6	4	8	24	24	22
	TFF Third League – Playoffs	Final	2	0	1	1	2	3	1
2009–10	TFF Third League – 5th Group	5	16	6	5	5	19	21	23
	TFF Third League – 5th Klasman Group	3	28	12	5	11	36	36	41
2010–11	TFF Third League – 1st Group	8	34	15	8	11	46	27	53
2011–12	TFF Third League – 3rd Group	1	36	22	6	8	55	29	72
2012–13	TFF Second League – Red Group	2	32	14	13	5	46	26	55
	TFF Second League – Playoffs	Final	3	2	0	1	7	4	6
2013–14	TFF Second League – White Group	3	34	18	9	7	50	30	63
	TFF Second League – Playoffs	Final	5	2	1	2	7	5	7
2014–15	TFF Second League – Red Group	3	34	17	9	8	46	32	60
	TFF Second League – Playoffs	Q.F.	2	0	1	1	0	1	0
2015–16	TFF Second League – White Group	13	34	8	11	15	31	39	35
2016–17	TFF Second League - Red Group	4	34	22	11	7	39	25	59
	TFF Second League - Playoffs	S.F.	2	1	0	1	3	4	3
2017–18	TFF Second League - Red Group	1	34	23	7	4	63	15	76
2018–19	TFF First League	3	34	19	10	5	57	22	67
	TFF First League - Playoffs	S.F.	2	1	1	0	3	2	3
	TFF First League - Playoffs	Final	1	0	1	0	1	1	1 (3–5 penalties)
2019-20	TFF First League	1	34	19	9	6	48	28	66
2020–21	Süper Lig	6	40	17	10	13	62	53	61
2021–22	Süper Lig	12	38	15	8	15	56	60	53
2022–23	Süper Lig	19	36	6	5	25	19	83	23
2023–24	Süper Lig	15	38	9	14	15	45	52	41

	Promotion
	Relegation

Source: TFF: Hatayspor

Players

Current squad

As of 29 July 2024^[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  TUR Erce Kardeşler (vice-captain) 2 DF  TUR Kamil Çörekçi (captain) 3 DF  CMR Guy Kilama 5 MF  GER Görkem Sağlam 6 MF  TUR Abdülkadir Parmak 7 MF  NGA Funsho Bamgboye 8 MF  CGO Chandrel Massanga 10 FW  SWE Carlos Strandberg 11 FW  NGA Jonathan Okoronkwo 12 GK  KOS Visar Bekaj 13 DF  ALG Faouzi Ghoulam 14 FW  POR Rui Pedro

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 DF  TUR Recep Burak Yılmaz 16 MF  TUR Selimcan Temel 17 MF  SEN Lamine Diack (on loan from Nantes) 18 MF  BIH Armin Hodžić 22 DF  TUR Kerim Alıcı 27 DF  TUR Cengiz Demir 31 DF  GER Oğuzhan Matur 34 GK  TUR Demir Sarıcalı 35 GK  TUR Emir Dadük 77 MF  POR Joelson Fernandes 88 DF  TUR Cemali Sertel 99 FW  HON Rigoberto Rivas

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  TUR Engin Can Aksoy (at Sakaryaspor until 30 June 2025) — GK  TUR Arel Ekinci (at İskenderunspor until 30 June 2025) — FW  TUR Ünal Durmuşhan (at Tuzlaspor until 30 June 2025)

Affiliated clubs

The following club is currently affiliated with Hatayspor:

• Dynamic Herb Cebu (2022–present)

References

1. "Hatayspor kupasını aldı" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
2. "Hatayspor'dan iki antrenör ve 3 futbolcu Filipinler Ligi'ne transfer oldu" (in Turkish). Ajansspor. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
3. "Hatayspor'da sürpriz Filipinler gelişmesi" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
4. "Christian Atsu found dead after Turkey earthquake". BBC Sport. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
5. "Ghana's Atsu pulled alive from Turkey earthquake rubble". Reuters. 2023-02-07. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
6. "Son Dakika: Hatayspor ligden çekildi! TFF Başkanı Mehmet Büyükekşi açıkladı". Hürriyet. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
7. "Hatayspor – Tarsus Idman Yurdu rivalry". Retrieved 2014-04-06.^{[permanent dead link]}
8. "FUTBOL A TAKIMI". Hatayspor. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Hatayspor on TFF.org