Solidarity with Gaza: Turkish Clubs Besiktas and Trabzonspor Refuse Coca-Cola Sponsorships

ISTANBUL, Sunday, November 30, 2025 – In a strong gesture of solidarity with Palestine, Turkish football club Besiktas announced its refusal of a sponsorship offer from multinational Coca-Cola. This decision, motivated by ethical considerations related to the situation in Gaza, follows a similar one recently made by another iconic club in the Turkish championship, Trabzonspor.

Besiktas General Secretary, Ugur Fora, was categorical in his statement: « We did not accept this agreement because we do not consider it ethical. As Beşiktaş, our priority has always been the sensitivity of our society. The situation is clear. Our supporters, too, did not positively welcome such a proposal. Beşiktaş has always stood on the side of conscience ».

These remarks underscore the importance the club's management places on the values and opinions of its supporter base, in an international context particularly tense since the invasion of Israel in Palestine.

Besiktas thus joins the position already adopted by Trabzonspor, whose president Ertugrul Dogan had recently made the same decision « for ethical reasons and in solidarity with Palestine ». This convergence between two major clubs in the Turkish championship demonstrates a shared sensitivity within Turkish football regarding the conflict in Gaza.

The refusal of a partnership with a multinational of Coca-Cola's stature represents a significant financial sacrifice for these clubs. However, this deliberate choice reinforces the symbolic scope of their gesture, showing that ethical considerations can prevail over economic imperatives.

These decisions come in a context of growing international mobilization around the Palestinian cause and pressure on companies accused of directly or indirectly supporting military actions in Gaza.

Turkish football, through two of its most prestigious institutions, thus sends a strong political message that goes beyond the strictly sporting framework and could inspire other clubs or organizations worldwide.

While the world of football is often criticized for its excessive commercialization, Besiktas and Trabzonspor remind us that sport retains an ethical and political dimension, capable of taking a stand on international issues that affect collective consciousness.