Presentation of the country's main government and sports institutions and bodies

• Ministry of Youth and Sport of Türkiye
• Ministry of Internal Affairs of Türkiye
• General Directorate of Security (affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs)
• Ministry of Justice of Türkiye
• Turkish Football Federation

Independent sports safety bodies

Provincial and Sub-provincial Sports Safety Boards are responsible for determining all safety, security and service-related measures, approving Sports Venue Safety Certificate and also the Sports Venue Emergency Plan prepared separately for each sports venue.

• Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports
• Regulations on the Implementation of Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder at Sports Competitions

Main sports in the country:

• Turkish Chess Federation                 1.222.516
• Turkish Taekwondo Federation          736.497
• Turkish Volleyball Federation              495.192
• Turkish Basketball Federation             480.734
• Turkish Kickboxing Federation            388.382

National Olympic Committee:

• Turkish National Olympic Commiteee
• Turkish National Paralympic Committee

Main sports federations and leagues:

• Turkish Football Federation: TFF Super League
• Turkish Basketball Federation: Turkish Basketball Super League
• Turkish Volleyball Federation: Turkish Sultans League (Women’s Volleyball)
• Turkish Efeler League (Men’s Volleyball)
• Turkish Handball Federation: Turkish Men’s Handball Super League

National football authorities:

• Turkish Football Federation (Turkish Football Federation does not carry out activities under the Ministry of Youth and Sports unlike the other sports federations and is an autonomous federation. Even the federation’s and Ministry’s Arbitration Boards are independent from each other).

Relevant good practices in the S4 domain:

• Preparing and disseminating informative brochures with regards to the prohibited actions and the sanctions for the spectators at the competitions.
• Allocating suitable places in sports venues for children and the people with disabilities receiving cards from the Ministry of Family and Social Policies to spectate competitions.
• Enumerating the seating areas for the spectators in sports venues, preparing the necessary direction plates in order to direct the spectators to the places allocated to them, ensuring that tickets are sold according to the seat numbers, not allowing spectators in the competition venue over the limits or without tickets and carrying out the controls and inspections with regards to the entrance and exit of the spectators using the tickets distributed by the sponsors.

Last major sports events organised since 2000 and key elements of their legacy:

• 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championship, 28 August – 12 September 2010, Ankara-İzmir-İstanbul-Kayseri, 500 participants from 24 countries
• Multi-Sport Event, 25^th World Winter Universiade 2011 Erzurum, 2500 participants from 52 countries
• Multi-Sport Event, 17^th Mediterranean Games 2013 Mersin, 5000 participants from 24 countries
• European Indoor Athletics Championship, March 2023 İstanbul
• 2023 UEFA Champions League Final, 9 June 2023 İstanbul

Future major sports events organised and/or co-organised within the next 5 years:

• IFCA Slalom European Championship, 14 August 2024, İzmir (Sailing)
• Turkish Kickboxing Federation 10^th International Kickboxing World Championship, 2025, İstanbul
• Turkish Rowing Federation Coastal and Offshore Rowing and Beach Sprint European Championship, September, 2025, Antalya
• 2027 Mediterranean Games
• 2028 Manisa European Universiade

The country's main sports competitions:

• Annual Major Championships (Football/Basketball / Volleyball).
• Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye
• İstanbul Eurasia Marathon
• Presidential International Yacht Races
• Cross-Continental Swimming Race

None

National legal framework on sports safety and security, including specific legal provisions on: 

List of Main Laws And Regulations

1.  Law No. 3289 on Youth and Sports Services

2.  Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports

3. Law No. 5188 and dated 10.06.2024 on Private Security Services regulates the rules and principles regarding the provision of the private security services which are complementary to the public security.

4.  Regulation on the Private Physical Education and Sports Facilities

5.  Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports

6.   TFF Stadium and Safety Committee Instructions

7.   Sports venues safety certificates

National / Local Coordination Bodies

• Federations
• Ministry of Youth and Sports
• Provincial sports safety board (Sports safety boards established in each province)
• Sub-provincial sports safety (Sports safety boards established in the sub-provinces which have sports clubs)
• Central sports safety unit (Relevant unit established within the Directorate General for Security)
• Sports safety unit (Relevant unit established by the provincial and sub-provincial directorate of security or gendarmerie commands according their area of responsibility)
• Supporter Associations
• Municipalities
• Media outlets
• Private security personnel
• Sports clubs

Share of Safety And Security Responsibilities (Inside/Outside Of Sports Venues)

• Provincial and Sub-provincial Sports Safety Boards, which have the primary responsibility regarding safety and security at sports venues, were established with the Article 4 of the Law No. 6222 and measures to be taken regarding the safety and order at the competition and spectating areas are regulated with the Article 5 of the same Law.
• Safety measures to be taken at the sports venues are regulated in a comprehensive manner with the Regulation on the Implementation of Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports. Furthermore, duties, powers and responsibilities of the provincial and sub-provincial sports safety boards, competition safety chief, sports safety unit, federations to which sports disciplines are affiliated, sports clubs, general law enforcement and private security personnel, supporter associations and other relevant persons and institutions and competition chiefs are determined within context of the share of safety and security responsibilities at sports venues.

Stewarding/ Private Security

• Provisions regarding the private security personnel in sufficient numbers to provide safety and to work with general law enforcement personnel are regulated with the Article 6 of the Law no. 6222 titled “Safety of the competition, training and spectating areas”. Powers and responsibilities of the private security personnel working under the competition safety chief are determined with the Article 13 of the Regulation, which was prepared based on the Law.

Sports Venues Safety Regulations, Licensing, Certification And Inspection

• Sports Venues Safety Certificates; provincial and sub-provincial sports safety boards, established by the Article 4 the Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports and Article 5 of the Regulation on in the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports, have the power and responsibility of inspecting the sports venues, where professional football competitions and the top league competitions of the basketball and volleyball take place, annually before the start of the season, deciding relevant sports venue’s eligibility of receiving spectators by evaluating the inspection results in terms of spectator safety and health, confirming the sports venue safety certificate if no deficiency is found, and if a deficiency is found, notifying this deficiency to the relevant Federation and disallowing the organization of the competition in the sports venue until the deficiency is corrected. Sports venue safety certificate to be issued in this context, notification documents based on this certificate and the standard forms to be prepared for the similar issues are issued by the Ministry of Youth and Sports by receiving the opinions of the relevant Ministry and federations.

Sport-Related Hate Speech, Racism And Other Types Of Discrimination

• Measures regarding the hate speech, racism and other discrimination in sports are regulated with the Article 14 of the Law No. 6222 titled “Threatening and Insulting Chants”. Accordingly, expressions and behaviors insulting different sections of society in terms of religion, language, ethnicity, gender and religious sect are prohibited in sports venues. Committing the prohibited acts through any written, visual, audial and mass communication instrument is deemed incriminating.

Pyrotechnics And Other Forbidden Items

• Provisions regarding the pyrotechnics and other prohibited objects fall within the Article 12 and 13 of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Prohibited objects” and “Entrance in sports venues with prohibited objects and disruption of the competition order”.

Customer Service and Role of Supporters and Local Communities

• Consumer services and role of the supporter groups and local community are regulated by Article 8 and Article 9 of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Liabilities of the supporter associations” and “Club official responsible for supporters”. Accordingly, club officials responsible for supporters are liable to provide assistance to law enforcement and private security personnel in order to provide competition security.
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports identifies the tasks and responsibilities of the supporter associations and tasks and responsibilities of the club official responsible for supporters are identified with the Article 15 of the Regulation.
• Tasks and responsibilities of the municipalities as the center of local authority with regard to security and safety in sports are determined by the provisions of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports.

Social-Educational Preventative Measures / Projects

• Article 12 and Article 13 of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Prohibited objects” and “Entrance in Sports venues with prohibited objects and disruption of the competition order” include social-educational prevention measures.

Alcohol/Drug Policy

• It is prohibited to bring narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in competition venues, spectating, private spectating and training areas and vehicles through which teams and supporters travel collectively according to the Article 12 of the Law No. 6222 titled “Prohibited objects”. Additionally, bringing, consuming and selling alcohol in competition venues and spectating and training areas is decided by the relevant federation. Law enforcement is responsible for hindering the entrance of the persons who are clearly under the effect of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances according to the Regulation and municipalities are responsible for hindering the sale, consumption and distribution of the non-incriminating narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances and alcohol around the sports venue. Provincial directorate of sports, municipalities, directorates of security and sports clubs carry out tasks as stakeholders as part of their area of responsibility with regards to the narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.

Specific Sport-Related Misbehaviours Typified As Crimes

• Article 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17/A of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Entrance in Sports Venues with prohibited objects and disruption of the competition order”, “Threatening and Insulting Chants”, “Illegal entrance of spectators in the competition venue and spectating areas”, “Entrance in forbidden areas” and “Aggravating circumstances of crime and deprivation of rights” include special sports-related illegal acts which set an example of criminal behaviors.
• Penalties such as imprisonment, punitive fines, ban from spectating and deprivation of rights are the result of the abovementioned prohibited behaviors. Additionally, imposing a penalty to a sports club or a member of a sports club does not remove relevant federation’s power of imposing sanctions.

Specific Sport-Related Misbehaviours Typified As Misdemeanours

• Article 21, 22 and 23 of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Fulfillment of the obligations”, “Statements which may lead to violence” and “Proceedings and procedural provision” include sports-related illegal acts which set an example of misdemeanors.
• In the event that the acts constituting a misdemeanour are published by exceeding the limits of the right to inform and criticize, the real or legal persons who are the operators of the relevant press and broadcasting organ shall also receive an administrative fine for their behaviour that constitutes an example of a misdemeanour.

Exclusion Policy (Banning Orders / Exit Bans)

• Article 17/a and 18 of the Law No. 6222 titled respectively “Aggravating circumstances of crime and deprivation of rights” and “Ban from spectating” regulate the measures regarding the exclusion arrangements (ban orders / international travel ban)
• Furthermore, Central Sports Safety Unit has the task of notifying the relevant authorities abroad, where the competition is held, when necessary, before the organization of the competition with regards to the information of the persons who are banned from spectating according to the Regulation. Besides, the Central Sports Security Unit creates an electronic data bank in order to register the information of the persons banned from spectating and allow Directorate General of Sports Services, Turkish Football Federation and sports safety units to access electronically in order for sports clubs and the relevant federations to access the information. Directorates of Security and Gendarmerie Commands submit the information of the persons banned from spectating to the Sports Safety Unit to be registered in the electronic data bank.

Measures taken / envisaged by States to meet the objectives of the Convention

• Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports

Existence of specific safety, security and/or service public policies

• Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports

Existence of a national strategy on safety, security and service

• Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports
• Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports

Existence of regional/ local strategies on safety, security and service

• There are Provincial and Sub-provincial Sports Safety Boards and necessary measures are taken by taking existing risks into consideration

Major risks and trends on sport-related violence and disorder

• Hooliganism and accordingly, decrease in the number of spectators, social disintegration and inability of female spectators to attend competitions
• Manipulation (politically, ethnically etc.) of the supporter groups by the malevolent persons
• Declining brand value and decreasing interests of the sponsors
• Disputes between the supporters on social media platforms
• Encounters between the supporters, who are hostile against each other, on the away routes
• Tense atmosphere of of the competition due to the positions of the teams in the league

Last major incidents which seem relevant and enlightening on the need to adopt an integrated approach to safety, security and service

• The Izmir derby played between Göztepe and Altay football clubs in the 2022-2023 season of the Spor Toto 1^st League was postponed due to the incidents. Some of the supporters in the Göztepe tribune were injured after a firework was thrown from the Altay tribune to the Göztepe supporters in the 19^th minute of the match. It was found that private ambulance drivers brought the firework into the stadium. The drivers left the firework in the toilets and the supporters took them from there. Ambulance drivers and 21 people were detained for the incidents.
• Incidents occurred at the tribes during the Göztepe – Altay competition and injury of a player by a fan who invaded the pitch.
• Incidents occurred at the end of the match played between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe football clubs in the 2023-2024 season of Trendyol Super League. Trabzonspor fans invaded the pitch after the match and physically attacked the Fenerbahçe players. As a result of the incidents, 13 suspects were detained, legal proceedings were initiated and 5 persons were arrested.
• Three persons who beat the match referee at the end of the match played between MKE Ankaragücü and Çaykur Rizespor A.Ş football clubs in the 2023-2024 football season of Trendyol Super League were arrested.

Please provide a graph of the evolution of total incidents over the last 10 years.