It is almost impossible to imagine that in a place that is home to some of the worlds most fanatic soccer fans today, the sport used to be banned all together. In the Ottoman Empire during the late 1800's the conservative Muslim regime saw the sport as foreign to the local culture and in order to maintain the empire's traditions and identity soccer was forbidden for the Turkish people.
Even though the local population was not allowed to play the prohibition did not apply to the non-Muslim immigrant communities, making soccer extremely popular amongst the Brits, Jews, Greeks and Armenians. Despite the oppression, in 1899 in the city of Izmir the first Turkish club was founded: Black Stockings FC. They played against a local Greek team who had a 4-1 advantage when the police invaded the pitch and arrested as many Black Stockings players as possible. The club was never heard from again.
The sport continued to grow, by 1904 the immigrants had created the first "Sunday Leagues" to play on their day off, while the first Turkish clubs, such as Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce, were founded. The clubs were allowed to exist as long as soccer was not one of their sports, mostly they chose gymnastics instead. The few who would attempt to play soccer suffered the consequences of getting kicked out of school or even arrest.
In 1908 there was a regime change in the Empire and that's when the scenario changed completely. While the non-Muslim immigrants had their Sunday Leagues, the Turkish clubs now formed their "Friday Leagues" to be able to play on their day off.
From that point on the sport slowly morphed into something we'd recognize today. In 1922, same year as the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of Turkey as we know it today, the first national Turkish league began. Just one year later in 1923 the Turkish Football Federation was founded and Turkey now had a national team, playing their first ever match against Romania. By 1952 soccer became a professional sport and there was no turning back.
It is said that hardship breeds fanaticism, so when you look into the history of soccer in Turkey it is then easy understand why their clubs have some of the most wild support on the planet.