‘We are here’: Kurdish club Amedspor shakes up Turkish football

A decade after being targeted amid clashes between the Turkish military and Kurdish fighters in Diyarbakir, Amedspor is playing in the top flight for the first time. The club, a standard-bearer of Kurdish identity, faced fines, away-supporter bans, police raids and attacks by rival fans. After 10 games, Amedspor sits second in the Super Lig and could go top with a win over league leaders Galatasaray. Coach Besnik Hasi, a mostly new squad and Nigerian striker Gift Orban, who has scored nine goals in 10 matches, have helped drive the team’s success, alongside sellout crowds of more than 30,000.