Number 8 for €55 million

In a country where the minimum wage is 22,104 Turkish Lira and more than half of the working class has to live on this income, Galatasaray is giving Osimhen €150 million over four years, Fenerbahçe is giving Duran €20 million annually on loan, and Beşiktaş is giving Orkun Kökçü €55 million over five years—there's an extraordinary period of joy in the country! And it's likely that a large portion of those experiencing this joy are also minimum wage earners.

I need to quote from the analysis reviews of the book by dear Ahmet Talimciler, Jay Coakley and Elizabeth Pike in the field of sociology of sports so that I can explain the process correctly.

"Marx, one of the founding fathers of sociology, uses the following expressions in his work The German Ideology: The ideas of the ruling class are the dominant ideas in every age; that is, the class that is the dominant material power of society is also the dominant intellectual power. The class that owns the means of material production also controls the means of mental production; so that, speaking of this, the thoughts of those who lack the means of mental production are subordinate to that class" (2013, p. 52). It is useful to recall Marx's words again and again at many points when we discuss sports and inequality. At this point, the authors approach the equality myth of sports from a critical perspective. 'Many people believe that sports and participation in sports are open to all, and that inequalities related to money, position, and influence have no impact on the organized games we play and watch. However, formally organized sports cannot be developed, programmed, or sustained without economic resources. Those who control money and economic power use them to organize and support sports. In doing so, they use them to organize and support sports that reflect and maintain their own values and interests. “As a result, sport emerges in a context where inequality shapes decisions and the allocation of resources. In this process, sport reproduces the very inequalities that many people feel are silenced by them” (p. 406). In fact, the situation does not end with the mere production and propagation of the inequality in question.”

In my opinion, it is also a form of class domination.

Football has become a product of the cultural industry, capable of accumulating capital to support the capitalist mode of production. Therefore, football is a set of organized activities aimed at producing the economic, political, ideological, and especially cultural goals of capitalism.

The culture industry, through its products, gives people a different life. It misleads people with products they don't actually need, and the concept of the culture industry, based on their consumption of a product, brings them together with the government and reconciles them, thus helping to reproduce capitalist domination. This is why, within this exploitative mechanism, a minimum-wage fan can still compete with Osimhen and Orkun and find happiness.

However, the concept of mass culture ignores these cultural distinctions and diversity. Furthermore, because popular culture is a part of mass culture, it is a tool of capitalism, aimed at commerce and consumption, and it produces popular culture through mass media, primarily television. The globalization of mass media also enables popular culture to become global. This is why the fan bases of the four major teams have the same reaction at airports.

At this point, the media steps in and turns football into a spectacle. Because the media's primary function is to manipulate the market economy to increase consumption within capitalist production relations and reproduce ideologies that we will enjoy and need in our lives, they are tools controlled by capital, and therefore must present the content of their marketing outside of reality. In this process, the sheer amount of money spent is rendered meaningless. Despite both players being talented, and their salaries far exceeding their abilities, the media rationalizes this through a perceived necessity.

On top of all this, let's make a real assessment of football facts – outside of the media – so that we can finish the process on a healthy note.

Unfortunately, the realities of football are not the same as the realities of the country. The country is in a different phase, football is in a different phase...

But football is a game. When managed correctly, it provides a different kind of pleasure. And to experience that pleasure, certain requirements are needed.

Football is a series of principles. Game patterns designed to protect the game define the most economical way to win under competitive conditions.

The team, formed in the organization of the management mechanism, works with the technical staff and players to achieve how to play the parts of the whole, which includes half-field games consisting of systematic and task definitions to represent a corporate identity on the field.

At this point, the manager and every player in their position are obligated to perform to the best of their ability, in line with their respective job descriptions. And the transfer of the manager and players who will do this must inevitably be done correctly.

Orkun Kökçü was transferred for this purpose. Just like Rafa Silva…

While it's crucial to make a move amidst the competitive landscape of rival teams, it's equally crucial to avoid internal competition. Because the stakes are high. While he receives €1,560,000 annually from Benfica, including 40% tax, he receives €5 million tax-free from Beşiktaş, regardless of his strong emotional bond. And while it's still unclear what he'll pay the team...

It might be more helpful to illustrate with examples. The performances of players like Iniesta, Lampard, and Kross, as number 8s, were distinct in that they fulfilled their tactical duties within the team's integrity and created a distinct distinction. In addition to their impact on the team's play, they were leaders on the pitch, regardless of whether they were captains. Orkun, on the other hand, is more resonant with the fans' affection and emotional reactions than with his playing ability or his potential.

There are two issues to discuss here for Beşiktaş. First, the team lacks a well-established tactical unity, and it seems unlikely to do so. Second, the team has vulnerabilities in terms of positional talent that would ensure team unity. Deficiencies are particularly evident in the two center-backs, the goalkeeper, and the two wingers. Orkun creates a difference through team unity and even distribution of his individual talents; without this, he would be unable to single-handedly influence the game and the score throughout the season.

The expectation is so high that he will be given the captaincy before he even plays - if giving him this much meaning creates a handicap for Orkun, the process will end in disappointment.