The Antalyaspor Herald
Squad19 Mar 2029
Mert Günok in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Antalyaspor this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Words at Antalyaspor training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samuel Ballet is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
No hiding place for Kenan Karaman
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kenan Karaman, and the manager let it.
The terraces19 Mar 2029
The crowd has taken to Ozan Demirbağ
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match18 Mar 2029
Ozan Demirbağ the difference as Antalyaspor beat Samsunspor
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Ozan Demirbağ. 1‑0 against Samsunspor, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
The afternoon belonged to Samuel Ballet
A mark of 7.82, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Kerem Unal, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
Yusuf Özdemir has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Antalyaspor will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout19 Mar 2029
Kerem Şen knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Antalyaspor, and both men came out saying it was fine.
In brief
- Market The Samuel Ballet story refuses to die
- Looking ahead A reunion for Kayra Cihan
- Squad Halil Sinik makes his debut at 16