Sports
Down-to-earth N’Golo Kante back in Europe as Fenerbahçe seal deal
Fenerbahçe have completed the signing of French midfielder N’Golo Kante, bringing one of world football’s most respected and unassuming champions back to Europe after a two-and-a-half-year spell in Saudi Arabia.
The Istanbul club confirmed Wednesday that Kante signed a two-and-a-half-year contract after arriving from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, turning an earlier announcement into a formal agreement following a brief delay in the registration process.
Fenerbahçe revealed earlier this week that the transfer had stalled after Al-Ittihad failed to input the required details into FIFA’s transfer matching system.
The issue was resolved once the Saudi club officially confirmed Kante’s departure, allowing the move to be registered through Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform.
Kante, 34, will wear the No. 17 shirt for the yellow-and-navy club, beginning a new chapter in a career defined by substance rather than spectacle.
Financial framework clarified
According to the disclosure, Fenerbahçe agreed to a sizeable financial package. Kante received a 14.4 million euros ($17 million) signing bonus, with a salary of 5.5 million euros for the 2025-26 season and 11 million euros annually for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
While the figures reflect the club’s ambition, the tone surrounding the move has remained notably restrained, in keeping with a player whose reputation has long rested on reliability, discipline and professionalism rather than star power.
Al-Ittihad confirmed Kante’s exit before reshaping their squad, signing Morocco forward Youssef En-Nesyri as part of broader changes following Karim Benzema’s move to Al-Hilal.
Leadership over headlines
Fenerbahçe sporting director Devin Özek framed the signing as a long-term investment in experience and values, rather than a short-term headline.
“N’Golo Kante has won almost every major trophy in football, including the World Cup and the Champions League,” Özek said. “His winning mentality and experience at the highest level will be invaluable for us. But just as importantly, he is an exceptional person.”
Özek added that Kante will take an active role in the club’s ‘One Percent Project’, a social responsibility initiative supporting children with disabilities, describing the midfielder as a natural fit for a program rooted in inclusion and example.
Few midfielders of his generation can match Kante’s resume. He was a central figure in Leicester City’s improbable 2015-16 Premier League title, anchoring a team that defied expectations and reshaped English football’s competitive narrative.
A move to Chelsea followed, bringing further league titles, European honors and individual recognition.
On the international stage, Kante played a pivotal role in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph, embodying the balance, energy and tactical intelligence that defined the team’s midfield.
Yet even as medals accumulated, Kante remained largely unchanged, a figure known for arriving at training quietly, avoiding excess and allowing performances to speak for him.
Shaped by hardship, guided by discipline
Born in Paris to Malian immigrant parents, Kante grew up in working-class suburbs and lost his father at the age of 11.
From a young age, he helped support his family, experiences that instilled a sense of responsibility and self-discipline that would later define his professional life.
His rise through the French leagues was gradual, built on work ethic rather than physical dominance or early acclaim.
Coaches and teammates consistently pointed to his focus, humility and relentless consistency, traits that later translated seamlessly to football’s highest levels.
Personal connection to Türkiye
Kante’s move to Fenerbahçe also carries a personal significance.
During his years in Paris, he developed a close relationship with Turkish dentist Gökhan Çağrıcı and his family, frequently visiting their home and forming a bond that extended beyond football.
He affectionately refers to Çağrıcı’s mother as “Hatun Anne,” a relationship he has spoken about as a source of comfort and grounding.
Kante has previously described his appreciation for Turkish culture, hospitality and faith, elements that now intersect naturally with his professional move to Istanbul.
Hatun Çağrıcı welcomed the transfer, describing Kante as humble, respectful and sincere, a reflection of the image that has followed him throughout his career.
Fenerbahçe announced the signing with a brief message on social media: “Welcome to our Fenerbahçe, N’Golo Kante.” The simplicity of the statement mirrored the nature of the player himself.
At 34, Kante does not arrive in Istanbul seeking reinvention or redemption.
He arrives as a proven figure, a stabilizing presence, a reference point for younger players, and a reminder that excellence does not require noise.
Turkish center Alperen Şengün of the Houston Rockets on Sunday was named an NBA All-Star for the second time in his career.
“Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Team World for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game (Sunday, 2/15 on NBC & Peacock),” the NBA said in a statement on Sunday.
Canadian star Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined by an abdominal strain but was voted a starter in taking his fourth All-Star selection in a row.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will be played next Sunday at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Şengün was named an All-Star for the first time last year. In his fifth NBA campaign, Şengün is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists over 44 games.
Şengün has helped the Rockets to a 32-19 record, sharing fourth place in the Western Conference.
In a revamped All-Star format, the World squad will face two teams of American players, USA Stars and USA Stripes, in a round-robin mini-tournament with three 12-minute games deciding which two sides advance to the 12-minute final.
England survived a major scare to beat Nepal in its T20 World Cup Group C opener in Mumbai on Sunday, despite Lokesh Bam’s blistering 39 not out off 20 balls.
Sam Curran held his nerve at the iconic Wankhede Stadium and defended just 10 off the last six balls as Nepal was restricted to 180-6 in 20 overs, replying to England’s 184-7 (20 overs).
Bam hit two sixes and four fours to raise the possibility of an improbable and stunning upset, but Curran bowled an exceptional final over to get England across the finish line.
Earlier, England had won the toss and opted to bat. Jacob Bethell hit 55 off 35 balls, including four sixes. Skipper Harry Brook added 53 off 32 balls with three sixes.
Will Jacks provided the finishing touch with 39 not out off 18 balls, hitting four sixes, and took England to a more defendable target from a precarious 137-5 in 15.3 overs.
In the morning game at Chennai, Tim Seifert’s 65 off 42 balls helped New Zealand get off to a winning start in the tournament and beat Afghanistan by five wickets in Group D.
It is expected to be the toughest group that also includes 2024 finalists South Africa.
New Zealand cruised to 183-5 – its highest ever chase at the T20 World Cup – with two overs to spare. Afghanistan scored 182-6 after winning the toss.
Curran took 1-27 in four overs, while left-arm spinner Liam Dawson picked up 2-21. For Nepal, skipper Rohit Paudel hit 39 off 34 balls, and Dipendra Singh top-scored with 44 off 29 balls.
Group C also includes West Indies, Italy and Scotland. Two-time champions West Indies beat Scotland by 35 runs Saturday.
England were 57-3 after 6.1 overs, when Bethell and Brook came together. They added 71 off 45 balls for the fourth wicket.
Bethell scored 50 off 28 balls, while Brook hit 50 off 31. Bethell fell in the 14th over and England slipped further before Jacks came to the rescue.
Jacks was named player of the match for his all-round showing. He helped England to reach a par score, and then picked up 1-17 in two overs.
He dismissed opener Kushal Bhurtel, who hit 29 off 17 balls and provided Nepal with a quick start as England searched for a breakthrough.
Dawson picked up two wickets as slower deliveries hit Nepal batters. Paudel and Singh added 82 off 54 balls for the third wicket, setting up a base for the finish.
Adil Rasheed proved expensive – 0-42 in three overs – but Curran dismissed Singh in the 15th over, in what was a crucial moment for the game. Bam’s heroics fell short in the end.
Gulbadin Naib, batting at No. 3 for the first time in T20s since the 2024 World Cup when Afghanistan knocked out the Black Caps from the race to the semis with an 84-run win at Guyana, smashed 63 off 35 balls.
But opening batter Seifert (65) raised his maiden T20 World Cup half-century to overcome Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s twin strike that had rattled New Zealand to 2-14 inside the first two overs.
Mujeeb clean bowled Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra off successive balls before Glenn Phillips (42) dealt with the hat-trick ball and then put the chase back on track by putting on an aggressive 74-run partnership with Seifert.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan (1-36) also couldn’t stem the flow of runs as New Zealand continued to accelerate in the middle overs against the experienced leg-spinner.
Rashid broke the stand in the 10th over when Phillips dragged it back onto his stumps.
Seifert completed his fifty in style by smacking off-spinner Mohammad Nabi for two successive sixes and followed it with a boundary before he was caught at deep square leg.
Mark Chapman (28 off 17 balls) and Daryl Mitchell (25 not out) then accelerated to get Black Caps home in the team’s first game of the tournament.
Earlier, Naib struck four sixes and three boundaries and laid a platform for Afghanistan’s strong finish with a 79-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal (29).
Naib took his time, scoring 14 off 16 balls but needed only another 13 deliveries to raise his half-century as New Zealand struggled with their fifth bowler.
Express bowler Lockie Ferguson (2-40) had struck twice when he was introduced in the last over of the power play and removed both openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27) and Ibrahim Zadran (10).
World champion Breezy Johnson won the women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Sunday in a race overshadowed by U.S. teammate Lindsey Vonn’s heavy crash that halted the event and sent her to the hospital.
Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air.
She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier’s storied career.
Her condition was not immediately known, with the U.S. Ski Team saying simply she would be evaluated.
Johnson, Vonn’s teammate, with her win, became only the second American woman to clinch the Olympic downhill title after Vonn did it 16 years ago. The 30-year-old Johnson held off Emma Aicher of Germany and Italy’s Sofia Goggia on a bittersweet day for Team USA.
Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated after just 13 seconds on the course.
Others in the crowd, including rapper Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course she knows so well and holds a record 12 World Cup wins.
Vonn’s crash was “tragic, but it’s ski racing,” said Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
“I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport,” he said, “because this race has been the talk of the games and it’s put our sport in the best possible light.”
All eyes had been on Vonn, the feel-good story heading into the Olympics. She had returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years, a remarkable decision given her age, but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee, too. Many wondered how she would fare as she sought a gold medal to join the one she won in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold-medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered her latest knee injury. In addition to a ruptured ACL, she also had a bone bruise and meniscus damage.
Still, no one counted her out even then. In truth, she has skied through injuries for three decades at the top of the sport. In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital. She competed less than 48 hours later, racing in all four events she’d planned, with a top result of seventh in the super-G.
“It’s definitely weird,” she said then, “going from the hospital bed to the start gate.”
Cortina has always had many treasured memories for Vonn beyond the record wins. She is called the queen of Cortina, and the Olympia delle Tofana is a course that had always suited Vonn.
She tested out the knee twice in downhill training runs over the past three days before the awful crash on Sunday in clear, sunny conditions.
“This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” Vonn said before the race. “Definitely the most dramatic.”
After the crash, the celebration for the medalists was held and fellow skiers thought about Vonn’s legacy.
“She has been my idol since I started watching ski racing,” said Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway. “We still have a World Cup to do after Olympics … I wouldn’t be surprised if she suddenly shows up on the start gate, but the crash didn’t look good.”
Juventus moved to secure one of their brightest young talents by extending Turkish midfielder Kenan Yıldız’s contract through June 2030, the club announced Saturday.
“Kenan embodies leadership, sacrifice and the constant pursuit of improvement. He is the personification of Juventus’ values, and he carries them onto the pitch in every game he plays,” the club said in a statement announcing the extension.
The 20-year-old, since joining the Old Lady from Bayern Munich’s youth system in 2022, has rapidly risen from the club’s under-19 team to become a first-team regular and a symbol of the club’s next generation.
He scored on his senior debut against Frosinone in December 2023, later inherited Juventus’ iconic No. 10 jersey and last year became the youngest player to captain the team.
The German-born winger has delivered consistently since breaking into the senior squad. Across two and a half seasons, Yıldız has scored 25 goals and provided 19 assists in 115 appearances in all competitions.
This season, he has eight goals and five assists in Serie A, underlining his growing influence in the attack.
Juventus emphasized the symbolic importance of the deal in a separate announcement, saying: “Kenan Yıldız’s story with Juventus is continuing – the No. 10 has renewed his contract to keep him in bianconero until June 30, 2030.”
Media reports in Italy suggested the new agreement makes Yıldız one of the highest-paid players in the squad, reflecting both his performances and the club’s determination to fend off interest from abroad.
Several European clubs had been monitoring his progress as Juventus worked to finalize the extension.
Yıldız, who represents Türkiye at the international level, expressed his attachment to the club after signing the new deal.
“I’m very happy to renew here, as this club is a family to me,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll do great things together. I love Juventus. I’m sure that I will always have the fans and my family behind me.”
Last season, Yıldız scored nine goals in 31 matches across competitions and played a role in Juventus’ 2023-24 Italian Cup triumph, further cementing his status as a key contributor despite his age.
N’Golo Kante’s return to European football on Wednesday was supposed to be a moment of unfiltered celebration for Fenerbahçe.
Instead, the French midfielder’s arrival in Istanbul exposed how quickly transfer euphoria can curdle in a global game that no longer tolerates cultural blind spots.
Thousands of supporters gathered at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to welcome the World Cup-winning midfielder following his free transfer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
Chants, flares and club colors filled the terminal in a familiar scene of Turkish football excess.
Amid the crowd, however, a small group of fans painted their faces entirely black, a gesture that instantly went viral and sparked international condemnation.
What many of those involved appeared to see as admiration for Kante quickly became the defining image of his arrival.
From transfer fever to backlash
Images circulated rapidly across X, Instagram and Reddit, drawing criticism from anti-racism advocates and football figures outside Türkiye.
The act was widely labeled as blackface, a practice historically tied to racist caricature and mockery and now considered unacceptable in modern sport, regardless of intent.
The backlash shifted attention away from the significance of Kante’s signing, a major coup for the Süper Lig and toward a familiar debate over intent versus impact.
Critics argued that reducing a player to skin color, even in celebration, strips away dignity and echoes a history football has repeatedly vowed to leave behind.
Cultural disconnect
Within Türkiye, reaction was more fragmented.
Some fans defended the display as a misguided but harmless expression of passion, rooted in a local supporter culture that prizes extreme identification with players.
In that context, painting one’s face was framed as inclusion, becoming “one of us.”
International observers rejected that framing.
In a sport consumed across borders, they argued, symbols do not belong to one culture alone. What feels like devotion locally can read as dehumanizing globally.
This tension is not new to Turkish football.
The league has faced repeated scrutiny over racism-related incidents, even as clubs and supporters have also mobilized strongly against explicit discrimination, most notably following the 2020 Champions League incident involving Başakşehir assistant coach Pierre Webo.
Club and player response
Fenerbahçe did not issue an immediate public statement addressing the face-painting and no disciplinary measures were announced against the individuals involved.
The club instead emphasized the footballing value of Kante, who signed a 2.5-year deal as part of its push for domestic and European success.
Kante, known for his reserved demeanor, did not comment on the controversy.
He marked his arrival with a brief, upbeat message on social media welcoming “a new challenge” in Fenerbahçe colors.
Turkish football paused in collective remembrance on Thursday, as the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and clubs across the country marked the third anniversary of the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes, a catastrophe that reshaped lives, cities and the nation’s sporting conscience.
In a message published on its official website, the TFF recalled the devastation unleashed by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, which tore through 11 provinces and left an indelible scar on the country.
The federation offered prayers for those who lost their lives and condolences to grieving families, reaffirming that the scale of the tragedy, and the responsibility to remember it, has not faded with time.
Often described as the “Disaster of the Century,” the twin earthquakes struck in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2023.
The first, a magnitude 7.7 quake centered in Pazarcık, hit at 4:17 a.m., followed hours later by a second magnitude 7.6 tremor in Elbistan.
Entire neighborhoods collapsed, thousands were trapped under rubble, and rescue efforts unfolded amid freezing winter conditions.
More than 53,500 people were killed in Türkiye, over 107,000 were injured, and nearly 14 million were affected across Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, Kilis and Elazığ.
Three years on, reconstruction continues, but the anniversary remains a moment of reflection rather than closure.
Beşiktaş delivered one of the starkest tributes, choosing brevity over flourish. “Unutmadık, unutmayacağız (We have not forgotten. We will not forget),” the club said, honoring those who died and expressing hope that such suffering is never repeated, words that have become a moral refrain across Turkish sport.
Fenerbahçe echoed that resolve, remembering the victims “with mercy and longing” while offering patience and strength to bereaved families. The club’s message reinforced the idea that remembrance is not confined to ceremonies, but lives on in collective memory.
Galatasaray struck a more reflective tone, recalling the night “when our hearts burned,” and acknowledging the emotional weight that still lingers three years later. The club emphasized solidarity with survivors, pledging continued support and presence beyond symbolic gestures.
Trabzonspor focused on both loss and resilience, honoring those who died while extending renewed wishes of strength to families and survivors still rebuilding their lives. The club also voiced a shared hope heard across the football community, that such devastation is never experienced again.
Beyond the country’s traditional giants, dozens of professional and amateur clubs, federations and athletes joined the commemoration, filling social media with prayers, black ribbons and messages of solidarity.
The repetition of the phrase “Unutmadık, unutmayacağız” was not coincidental; it reflected a collective determination to resist the fading of memory as years pass.
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