After losing just three league games in last season’s title-winning campaign, Trabzonspor have endured a dismal and disappointing defence of their first Super Lig title in 38 years. In the ten months separating their league title win with the eventual departure of manager Abdullah Avci, Trabzonspor lost nine league games – more than Avci lost in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. This run was made to look all the worse with Galatasaray racing ahead with a record winning streak in the Turkish Super Lig and leaving the likes of Trabzonspor in the dust. 

Furthermore, the spiral of chaos went further than just a managerial change. Trabzonspor’s long-time chairman, Ahmet Agaoglu, stepped down in the beginning of March 2023 citing “differences of opinion” as the reason for his resignation. In the weeks since losing Avci and Agaoglu, the Turkish champions have fumbled together a contingency plan to put an end to the wave of uncertainty that has enveloped the club this year. From the 9,278 club members eligible to vote, 1,231 cast their votes with businessman and lifelong Trabzonspor fan Ertugrul Dogan receiving 919 out of 1,129 votes to secure his position as chairman for a 20-month term.

Trabzonspor won one Turkish Super League, one Turkish Cup and two Super Cup championships under Ahmet Agaoglu, who took the helm on April 8, 2018. His appointment of Abdullah Avci will perhaps be the turning point in his legacy at the club. Avci brought success to the club and enkindled an extremely functional, disciplined and hard working approach which, in turn, brought trophies to a club who had once been starved of them. 

New Beginnings