Turkish football clubs competing in the top competitions in Europe, namely the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, have made 434.4 million euros ($491.2 million) in the last 10 years, a report said Wednesday.
Istanbul powerhouses Galatasaray and Beşiktaş held 65 percent of this income alone, while a total of nine different teams earned money from the UEFA in this period, a report in Turkish Hürriyet daily reported.
Galatasaray became the highest-earning Turkish team in the Champions League, while Beşiktaş held this title in the UEFA Europa League. During this period, the other Istanbul powerhouse Fenerbahçe made 52.4 million euros, followed by the Black Sea club Trabzonspor with 30.2 million euros.
Galatasaray took the lead in the UEFA in this period. The team was able to make 143 million euros, followed by Besiktaş with around 142 million euros.
In 10 years, Galatasaray earned almost all of its revenue from the Champions League and played only once in the UEFA Europa League. The Lions were able to earn 4.8 million euros from this competition in the 2009/2010 season. They have played in the Champions League five times since then, collecting a significant income. The team will get the lion's share in this field next season. Set to play in the Champions League in 2019/2020 season, Galatasaray is expected to make at least 35 million euros.
Following Galatasaray, Beşiktaş won 76.7 million euros in the Champions League under the leadership of their former coach Şenol Güneş, who now leads the Turkish national football team. In the 2009/2010 season, the team earned 21 million euros. The Black Eagles competed five times in the UEFA Europa League, following Galatasaray in terms of income.
During this time, Fenerbahçe played five times in the UEFA Europa League, making a total of 52.4 million euros. Trabzonspor exceeded 30 million euros in total, achieving the highest income from the Champions League.
Bursaspor took part in the European cups only once in 10 years, becoming the fifth highest-earning team in this field. After its championship in the 2009/2010 season, Bursaspor represented Turkey in the Champions League in 2010/2011 and won 20 million euros. Konyaspor played in the UEFA Europa League twice and made 18.3 million euros. Meanwhile, Osmanlıspor, Başakşehir and Akhisarspor earned 10.4 million euros, 9.4 million euros and 8.7 million euros in this field, respectively.
