Digital trail reveals Turkish football club Galatasaray’s denied connection to terror-linked doner chain
A composite image showing Galatasaray's logo alongside Maydonoz Doner's emblem against a grayscale background of Galatasaray's RAMS Park stadium, created on February 21, 2025. (Türkiye Today Photo)
Major Turkish football club Galatasaray’s sponsorship controversy has escalated into a national security issue following a sweeping counter-terrorism operation targeting a popular doner kebab chain Maydonoz Doner, revealing deep connections between sports, business, and alleged terrorist financing networks in Türkiye.
Maydonoz Doner’s links to FETO terror group
On February 21, Turkish authorities have detained 353 individuals, including 10 public officials, in a massive operation spanning 31 provinces centered in Antalya, targeting Maydonoz Doner, a prominent fast-food chain now accused of financing FETO terrorist activities.
The operation, coordinated by multiple Turkish security agencies, including the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), National Intelligence Organization (MIT), and anti-smuggling units, marks one of the largest corporate investigations in recent Turkish history.
The investigation targets Maydonoz Doner, which had branded itself as “the world’s largest doner chain” with over 300 branches across 65 cities in six countries, including Germany, spanning three continents.
The investigation has exposed an elaborate financial network allegedly designed to support terrorist activities through legitimate-appearing business operations. According to investigators, Maydonoz Doner implemented a sophisticated “reference-based growth” system that effectively restricted ownership and partnership opportunities to individuals within their network.
This system allegedly facilitated the transfer of approximately 220 million Turkish lira through various channels, disguised as routine business transactions and product purchases.
Adding another layer of complexity to the case, investigators discovered that former accountants from Kaynak Holding, an organization previously implicated in terrorist activities, were allegedly responsible for managing Maydonoz Doner’s financial structure.
The company reportedly established an international presence with branches in multiple countries, which authorities believe was designed to facilitate cross-border money transfers while evading detection.
Galatasaray ties with Maydonoz Doner, terrorist group-linked food chain in Türkiye
The scandal has now engulfed Galatasaray, one of Türkiye’s most prestigious football clubs, leading to a public relations crisis as evidence emerges contradicting the club’s official position.
Despite Galatasaray’s swift denial of any sponsorship relationship with Maydonoz Doner’s parent company, Somca Gida Dagitim ve Pazarlama A.S., digital evidence tells a different story.
“There is no sponsorship agreement between Somca Gida Dagitim ve Pazarlama A.S. and our club and/or its subsidiaries,” Galatasaray stated in an official release. However, this claim was quickly challenged when archived web pages from December 1, 2025, revealed the Maydonoz Doner logo prominently displayed among the club’s official sponsors.
Further undermining the club’s denials, a simple Google search show that Galatasaray’s official website previously maintained extensive links to Maydonoz Doner across its web presence, which cannot be found in website’s html code after the club’s announcement, pointing toward the link in website has freshly been deleted. The discovery of these links on multiple pages suggests a deeper commercial relationship than the club has acknowledged.
The controversy has particularly damaging implications for Galatasaray, as it follows a series of other scandals involving the club’s commercial activities. Recent controversies surrounding illegal betting websites and black market ticket sales had already raised questions about the club’s business practices and oversight mechanisms.
Galatasaray wipes tweets while earlier sponsorship news comes to light
Multiple Turkish news outlets reported in early November 2024 that Galatasaray had secured a sponsorship deal worth 25 million Turkish Liras with Maydonoz Doner.
While several of these articles have since been removed, numerous reports across Turkish sports media landscape detailed the sponsorship agreement and its financial terms.
The widespread coverage of the announcement at the time stands in stark contrast to the club’s current denial of any sponsorship relationship.
A deleted tweet from Galatasaray’s official account (@GalatasaraySK) has emerged, showing the club’s announcement of “signing a sponsorship agreement with the world’s largest doner restaurant chain @maydonozdonertr.”
The tweet, which included both companies’ logos against a red background, stated that “details would be announced in the coming days.”
Further casting doubt on Galatasaray’s denial, some twitter users released footage of journalist Fatih Altayli, former Galatasaray top official, making comments on the club’s sponsorship agreement with FETO terrorist group-linked doner chain.
Galatasaray has responded aggressively to the situation, announcing plans to pursue legal action against any individuals or institutions attempting to link the club to Maydonoz Doner.
However, the club has yet to address the contradictory evidence from its own digital archives or explain the apparent discrepancy between its official statements and documented website content.
