History of Karşıyaka Sports Club
For someone from Karşıyaka, "sports" means, first and foremost, Karşıyaka Sports Club (KSK/Kaf Sin Kaf). As a sociologist who has written extensively about this club stated, "Karşıyaka and KSK complement each other, they are, in the old sense of the word, integral parts of each other. One cannot exist without the other. Because of this, Kaf Sin Kaf is more than just a club." Numerous explanations emphasizing the strong bond between Karşıyaka and KSK can be found. One of the club's famous fans, Arap Osman (Ateş), said, "We were born for KSK, and we want to die in its embrace. We can have no other love than Green and Red. Karşıyaka is where I was born, raised, and educated, where my ancestors are buried. It is my father's homeland. That's why we are KSK fans. Not everyone can be a KSK fan; being a KSK fan is very difficult, your heart must beat fast for KSK... Whether it's football, basketball, water polo, or volleyball, every KSK match is a wedding for us, where we expect new victories. Let this be known." Meanwhile, Hakan Ortabaş, a former cheerleader for the Karşıyaka Football Team, stated, "First we fell in love with the community, then with the team... The root of our love for Karşıyaka lies in our love for the city. The feeling that makes us fans is the love of being from Karşıyaka..."
Historical Background: The First Sporting Organizations in İzmir
We know that from the late 18th century onwards, several civil society organizations were established in Izmir for cultural, economic, and sporting purposes. Perhaps because the Ottoman State did not grant the right to form associations to its citizens or foreigners, it appears that these organizations operated under the guise of "clubs." The "Orfevs" club, founded on September 14, 1890, by a few Greek music lovers, along with some students from the Aroni School, with the aim of improving the (Greek-Orthodox) community members musically and physically, was, as far as we can ascertain, Izmir's first civil society organization with sporting aims. This club, which first appeared before the community with a concert on April 23, 1891, during the Feast of Saint George, was followed by the Apollon Club, also founded by Greeks in 1891, which, like Orfevs, was initially a musical group. The first team-level sports games in Izmir were held in 1894 between the Apollon Club and the British sports enthusiasts of Bornova. The Bornova Association Sports Club (Bournabat Athletical), which participated in the Athletics, Gymnastics, and Cycling Competition held by the Apollon Club under the patronage of Aydın Governor Kâmil Pasha on May 23-25, 1904, was likely a club of English sports enthusiasts from Bornova who had participated in the 1894 sports games. The third club that participated in the 1904 competition, like the Bornova Sports Club, was the İzmir Sports Association, whose exact founding date is unknown.
Although some members who left Orfevs in 1895 founded a new club called "Yumnasio" (Sports) that was solely focused on sports, in October 1898 these two Izmir clubs merged and took the name "Panionios Izmir Sports Union". Other sporting organizations founded by Greeks before the second declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy included: Thsevs (July 1907) in Bornova; Ermiş Sports Club (April 1908); the Greek Football Team (1908); and Pelops Sports Club (1908), which came into existence in Karataş at the suggestion of Omiros Onassis, along with the club called "Ereton". According to a report titled "Entertainment," prepared by Sara Snell and Margaret Forsyhte, teachers at the International American College in İzmir Paradiso (Şirinyer), Armenians had three sports clubs in İzmir, Karşıyaka, and Karataş. The Armenian clubs in Karşıyaka and Karataş, organized by the Apollon Club, had their own fields.
With the constitutional amendment (Article 120) of 1909, which granted individuals the right to form associations, and the Societies Law, Turks also became involved in the sporting life of Izmir by organizing sporting events and establishing clubs.
According to a source we believe was published in 1960, football was first played among Turks in Izmir in 1910 at the Izmir Sultanate High School. The school's gymnastics teacher, Melekyan (presumably Armenian), who had studied in Europe, gave football lessons to the students, and the interest that arose from this led to the establishment of Turkish clubs. The first of these clubs was founded in 1912 and took the name "Karşıyaka Sports Club" in the early years of the Republic. The second was Altay Sports Club, which we know was founded at the beginning of 1914.
Establishment of Karşıyaka Sports Club
We know that a non-governmental organization called "Karşıyaka Sports and Music Club" was founded in 1906. Whether this club existed is uncertain, but it wasn't the only organization founded by the Greek community of Karşıyaka for sporting purposes. Karara, who writes that the Greek youth of Karşıyaka were very interested in sports, mentions three more clubs. The first is Kopanos, meaning "mallet." This club, which specifically chose this name to gain a psychological advantage over opponents, trained on Karavokiri's field. The second was the Eas Club in Alaybey, which used Omiros's field as an athletics track and football pitch. Since these were small clubs, they rarely showed their colors in large and serious competitions. Thirdly, it is mentioned that there was "Altay" (?), described as "a sufficiently good Turkish football team." Karara's mention that the Altay Club's headquarters were in Soğukkuyu (?) reveals that he is referring to another club that would later take the name KSK.
We know from a late newspaper article that Dağlaroğlu-San wrote that this Turkish club, which was the first in the entire Aegean region and whose name was "Karşıyaka İdman Ocağı" (?), had the most contact with the Greeks of Alaybey (it must be the Eas Club) and was defeated in every match by these Greeks, most of whom were lathe operators, carpentry apprentices, and servants. Another newspaper article states that in early 1914, Karşıyaka provided athletes for a running competition (100 meters) in which Altay and Midilli clubs also participated.
Our knowledge of KSK's founding and its activities during the Ottoman period is based primarily on two sources. The first of these sources is an article written by Cemal Ahmet (Umar) Bey and published in the October 1926 issue of the "Spor Âlemi" (Sports World) magazine. Banker Cemal Ahmet Bey, who also created the chant "Kaf Kaf Kaf, Sin Sin Sin, Kaf Sin Kaf Sin Kaf," wrote the following in his article titled "The History of Karşıyaka Club, the İzmir Champion":
"One day, people will ask, 'How was Karşıyaka Club founded?'" If I had imagined that I would be faced with such a question, and if I had known that I would be the one to answer it, I would have tried to gather information from those who first established the club when I was young. But at that time, neither I nor the founders had considered this possibility. As the former athletes of Izmir and the people of Karşıyaka will well remember, even the harsh words heard by football enthusiasts who, in the soil of what was then called the 'Omiro Field' in Karşıyaka, would hit the ball and the ground with their newly bought shoes until the toes of the ball formed a white object, could not prevent a large crowd of enthusiasts from gathering there on Fridays. We are among the goal-behind players of that time. You see how glorious our past is. It was very enjoyable for us to wait for the older players to throw the ball and then to kick it to the goalkeeper, who was very keen on hitting the ball with his fists. Sometimes, if the ball didn't go to the goalkeeper due to a wrong spin we gave it, we would throw a small stone we picked up from the ground behind us... We used to eat there. These footballers, who, like us, threw stones at the players behind the goal and made us carry goalposts, formed a sports club called 'Karşıyaka Club' on September 12, 328 (1912).
I remember this from a photograph that is currently available at the club. Because when that photograph was taken, I ate a stone of the same style while trying to squeeze to the edges so that our picture would also appear. Karşıyaka Club, which was formed on the mentioned date, offered an international-like view because it was unrivaled in İzmir. İzmirlis would come to Karşıyaka on Fridays to exercise with ours and would make us run after the ball that was damaged and patched several times until the evening. This international situation continued until the year 330 (1914). When Altay İdman Yurdu was formed in İzmir in 330, we started thinking about Altay because it was a rival to Karşıyakalılar. Altay's black-and-white and Karşıyaka's red-and-green jerseys began to appear sometimes in Karşıyaka and sometimes in Kârhane Çayırı, which was later named Talebe Çayırı. After one year of activity, two strong teams of Sultani joined them at the İttihat ve Terakki Mektebi and in the Spor Âlemi Magazine. Naturally, these four existing clubs were displaying maximum activity. However, it was not possible for any of the four to compete with Paniyoniyo and Apollon, the famous and old Rum clubs of the time. At the end of the year 1332 (1916), when military service affected those who played football, neither Sultani, nor İttihat ve Terakki, nor Karşıyaka and Altay remained in the middle. All of their somewhat strong teams dispersed. Although those who remained behind tried very hard to keep the system intact and maintain existence, it was natural that a team of inexperienced youths could not keep the clubs alive. This state of affairs continued for two years, namely until the armistice. As soon as the armistice occurred, Karşıyaka began to gather and organize again. At that time in İzmir, a club named 'İdman Yurdu' was also formed in place of Altay. The activities of both Karşıyaka and İdman Yurdu continued until the ill-fated occupation. And during that interval of time—except for a few players working individually—it almost came to a halt. The first club revived in İzmir after the liberation was again Karşıyaka. Fifty-eight youths who gathered on 1 Teşrinievvel 338 (1 October 1922) decided upon the revival of Karşıyaka under the name of 'Gençler Birliği'. And activity began. As everywhere else, work was first started with football. By allocating a significant portion of the initial income total to football equipment, the first match was played with the French torpedo boat in the harbor. Following this match, the former Altay members who established football activity at the current Alsancak Stadium, which was abandoned by the 'Paniyoniyo' club, also gathered and decided to revive Altay. The situation was again distinguishing itself more or less with the Karşıyaka-Altay rivalry. In İzmir, clubs whose number is currently more than necessary were formed within the last two years... We formed the tennis branch, in which we are currently unrivaled in İzmir, in 339 (1923) and seamanship in 340 (1924). The number of our tennis players increases every year and they get good results in their contacts with foreigners... Our sailors made many useful trips within the gulf last year... The separation of the locality from İzmir, the history of the club, and its having been formed for the first time in İzmir endow us with a special feature."
What Cemal Ahmet Bey wrote makes it inevitable for us to make some evaluations. First of all, by looking at a photograph, we believe it is not possible to say in which month and day a club was founded 16 years ago. Furthermore, it is also unknown which photograph currently present at the club it is. Cemal Ahmet Bey refers to the club as "Karşıyaka Club" both in the title of his article and within it, which makes it clear that this phrase is not the full name of the club.
The second source is what Journalist Yaşar Aksoy conveyed from his interviews with some Karşıyakalılar in the 1980s. Kadızade Zühtü Bey (Işıl) spoke to Aksoy's tape as follows: "The date when Kaf Sin Kaf was founded is 1912... In İzmir, Rums had Panyanios, Apollon, and many clubs. In Bornova, Englishmen had a community among themselves. On that date, we also bought a ball by collecting money among us. In short pants, we started playing in the plot adjacent to the primary school next to the Osmanpaşa Mosque, which was the field of that day. This plot was a wide garden with one side in Alaybey and the other side in Karşıyaka, next to the mansion where the current children's home is located, and its owner was a Karşıyakalı named Omiros who was of Russian origin and whose spouse was English... 5-6 friends among us decided to establish a community for the first time in those days in this plot. My elder brother Kadızade Raşit, my cousin Süreyya İplikçi, I, Refik Civelek, Osman Nuri, Örnekköylü Hüseyin, under an olive tree on a lightly rainy day, had also designed to found a club. The national excitement inside us had caught fire like a burning flame. Youth from our environment joined us like an avalanche. We had made a team among ourselves. 2-3 months later, we thought of reviving this community even more. This had become a longing for us. We applied to the İttihat ve Terakki Society, saying, 'Take us under your protection, let us organize a club, we desire to work more efficiently.' They welcomed it favorably and said, 'Let us allocate a room for you, organize here, we can register this club by applying to the vilayet.' This became a great hope. Several days a week in the evenings, we gathered here and conveyed what we designed to our elders. We had started to see great encouragement from them. A short while later, by applying to the vilayet through the legal advisory channel, our club was formed under the name 'Karşıyaka Mümarese-i Bedeniye Kulübü'. KSK was now born. The date was 1 November 1328, that is 1912..."
Sadi Bey (İplikçi), on the other hand, had said the following: "The year is 1912, Karşıyakalılar are reaching a sports club, they are in joy. Our elders cleared Omiros's field, erected portable goalposts, pulled a galloon cord over them, and thus the goal was set up, and they were playing among themselves. We, the little ones, were waiting behind the goal for the ball to escape. So that we could catch it and kick it back to them. Meanwhile, the Rums used to play ball in Karavokiri Field (around the station). In Soğukkuyu Street, overlooking the railway, our elders Hüsnü Tonak, Tahir Bor, the deceased Lawyer Fevzi Fikri Altay, Raşit Kadızade, Süreyya İplikçi, and Sezai Çullu furnished one of Hacı Ziya Bey's houses, organized a tea gathering, and invited sports lovers and athletic youths. They had assigned us, the little ones, the duty of serving tea and pastries. Everyone, young and old, was joyful. Karşıyaka Mümarese-i Bedeniye Kulübü was being officially founded. They had quite a bit of debate regarding choosing colors. Finally, they decided on green and red colors so that green represents Islam and red represents Turkism... In that day's meeting, jerseys were ordered with the money our elders collected among themselves. Football shoes were very expensive. Every player was to procure his own shoes. This was also provided by our fathers. The club bought a new ball. With their new jerseys, the players started playing matches among themselves in the field they cleared, without even drawing its lines... I am listing the players I remember from those who constituted our first team on that date: Raşit Kadızade (captain), Suat Karşıyaka, Refik Civelek—all of whom have passed away; goalkeeper Salih, Çakır Kemal, Italian Hanri Barker, Örnekköylü Hüseyin Ağabey, Kemalpaşalı Sarı Ali, Zühtü Işıl, Muharrem, Hüsamettin. The official founders in the statute consisted of the following names: Raşit Kadızade, Süreyya İplikçi, Hasan Fehmi, Cemal Ahmet Umar, Fikri Altay, Halit Onaran, Tahir Bor, Hüsnü Tonak, Zühtü Işıl, Cemil Erkli, Süleyman Danyal, Sadrettin İşçimenler...".
As will be noticed, every name to whom a microphone was held gives the founding date as the year 1912, but unlike Ahmet Cemal Bey, they say that the name of the club was "Karşıyaka Mümarese-i Bedeniye". A fairly recent study, without specifying a source, first gives the name "Karşıyaka Terbiye-i Bedeniye (Kulübü)"; later, moving from a news report published in the Ahenk newspaper, it implies that KSK was founded under the name "Terakki".
In the mentioned news item dated 19 December 1914 and titled "Establishment of an İdman Club in Karşıyaka", the following is written: "With the desire to serve all kinds of physical education, a club under the name of (Terakki) has been established in Karşıyaka. The club is in the building of the Karşıyaka Defense of National Rights Branch. Registration procedures will be started as of today, Friday, for our youth who want to perform sports and various physical educations, each of which causes great benefits, such as playing football, rowing in a boat, running, and walking. It has been decided that registration procedures will be carried out on Fridays from two to six in the afternoon, and on other days from five to eight." It is clear that Terakki is a completely new sports organization unrelated to KSK. At least on the date this news item was published, we know very well that Karşıyaka existed. For this reason, it is not possible for it to have been founded under the name "Terakki". As can be understood from its name, Terakki Club is, so to speak, the child of the İttihat ve Terakki Party. The role played by the said party and the Türk Ocağı İzmir branch, a cultural institution integrated with the party, in the establishment and development of Altay İdman Yurdu is known. The Müdafaa-i Milliye mentioned in the news item was established by the Unionists to alleviate the troubles arising from the war, and it had a branch in Karşıyaka. It seems that İttihat ve Terakki made an initiative in sports in the north of İzmir (and Altay in the south) to at least balance the dominance of non-Muslims.
The Associations Law dated 16 August 1909 states, "The formation of an association is not dependent on obtaining prior permission. Provided that, following its establishment, it is definitely required to be reported to the government in accordance with Article 6." (Art. 2). Article 12 of the same law brings the obligation that "Any association must submit a declaration to the government in order to acquire a legal personality." From what the Karşıyakalılar who spoke with Aksoy said, it is understood that the provisions of the Associations Law were fulfilled with the help of the İttihat ve Terakki Party. What cannot be understood is that around the time the club was founded, even in 1913, this Turkish club was not mentioned at all in newspapers published in İzmir and in Greek sources. In this case, it is necessary to rely on what was said by Karşıyakalılar who contributed to the founding of the club and/or witnessed this process: KSK was founded under the name "Karşıyaka Mümarese-i Bedeniye Kulübü". Ahenk's saying "Karşıyaka" was likely because the name "Karşıyaka Mümarese-i Bedeniye Kulübü" contained a noun phrase, making it difficult and long to say and write.
Karşıyaka Sports Club in the Republican Era
What is known about Karşıyaka (Mümarese-i Bedeniye Kulübü) during the First World War, the armistice, and the Greek occupation is limited to what Cemal Ahmet Bey wrote, as quoted above. At the time when the Republic was declared, Karşıyaka must have been using the name 'Gençler Birliği' (Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği Kulübü), which it adopted when reorganizing after the liberation. In the November 3, 1924 issue of the Anadolu newspaper, it is written that 'The footballers of Yıldız and Bayraklı clubs were defeated by a score of one to zero by the footballers of Karşıyaka and Tayyare, which are among the strongest clubs of our city...' In the December 28, 1924 issue of the same newspaper, the players of Karşıyaka, who are written to have defeated the Hilal football team 4-2 this time, are listed: 'Suphi (goalkeeper), İsmail, Münip, Vahi, Saim, Sezai, Osman, Ali, Necati, Selahattin, and Faik'. In another İzmir newspaper: in the February 1, 1925 issue of Sada-yı Hak, it is read that Karşıyaka defeated the Menemen İdman Ocağı football team 2-0. That the Karşıyaka mentioned in these news items was Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği Kulübü is understood from a news item present in the April 19, 1925 issue of Ahenk. In this news item, the names of the players of Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği Kulübü, who are stated to have drawn 2-2 with Yıldız, are listed, which are exactly the same as the players of the Karşıyaka team written above to have defeated the Hilal football team, except for the goalkeeper (Kenan).
During the same process, İzmir newspapers mention yet another Karşıyaka club: Karşıyaka İdman Ocağı. The club in question had defeated the Altınay football team 5-1 at the beginning of March 1925, and Menemen İdman Ocağı 1-0 at the beginning of April. Karşıyaka İdman Ocağı, which we learn from the April 19 issue of Ahenk had persuaded Süleymaniye, one of the prominent clubs of Istanbul, to come to İzmir to play a match, was not 'the first of the entire Aegean Region' as the Dağlaroğlu-San pair said, but was one of the clubs that Cemal Ahmet Bey said '...were formed within the last two years', referring to the few years after the declaration of the Republic.
While no news regarding 'Karşıyaka İdman Ocağı' and 'Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği' can be found in the issues of İzmir newspapers after this date (19 April 1925), news regarding 'Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü', so to speak, comes bursting forth. A framed advertisement in Ahenk dated 29 April announcing the match that KSK would play with the football team of Altınordu Kulübü on Friday, 1 May at 3 o'clock at the Punta İdman Sahası (Alsancak Field) is the first news item we could identify in this context.
It appears that KSK was formed through the merger of Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği and Karşıyaka İdman Ocağı clubs (between 19-29 April 1925). If attention is paid, one of the clubs in question did not join the other. Two clubs from Karşıyaka merged under the roof of a club whose name was completely new (KSK) and whose management structure and teams were presumably made mixed. This model, which was bound to accelerate integration, must have also facilitated the merger. If our assumption regarding the formation of KSK is correct, it comes to light that when Cemal Ahmet Bey said 'Karşıyaka Club' in Spor Âlemi magazine, he meant 'Karşıyaka Gençler Birliği Kulübü' until April 1925, and KSK afterwards.
Mustafa Kemal Paşa visited KSK on October 13, 1925. In this first visit he made to a sports club as the President of the Republic, M. Kemal jotted down the following note in the honor book: 'The youth with whom I am face to face at Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü is worthy of pride. In the presence of this youth, the strong happiness of the future appears so evident.' It is understood that KSK, which became the İzmir regional league (football) champion in the 1925-1926 season as if confirming the proverb 'unity breeds strength', became the center of attention. Mustafa Kemal Paşa, after an interval of about nine months, visited Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü once more on June 24, 1926, and wrote in the honor book this time: 'In my visit this time, I saw the valuable works of the effort spent and service during the past months. I thank and congratulate.' Receiving a match offer from the Greeks of Chios in the same year, KSK hired a gulf steamer and went there together with its supporters. Sadi İplikçi describes this island visit, which was for sporting purposes but ended without a match due to adverse weather conditions, as follows: 'Priests welcomed us with a ceremony at the Chios Pier. Everywhere was decorated with Turkish flags... We stepped onto the field... At that moment a rain started that was something terrible. It descended upon us like a flood. We only did a ceremony and dispersed. It was not destined to play a match. At night, the mayor gave a dinner in our honor. And he blasted a speech. Cretans who knew Greek translated it. I also answered on behalf of KSK, saying that the two nations are friends, and form a whole with their cuisine, music, and love. A storm of applause broke out at the tables. One by one they invited me to the tables, Chios ouzo was drunk until morning...'
It is necessary to mention a worthy initiative of Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü before this championship: the hosting of Fenerbahçe. Sadi İplikçi says the following: 'We hosted Fenerbahçe with all expenses belonging to us. Our match was going to be on Thursday (1924). On the same day, I also had my wedding. Thus, wedding preparations and match preparations ran side by side in a state of flurry. We entered the mosque together with the team and asked Allah to make our faces white (give us success). At the end of the match, we drew with Fenerbahçe and collected 3,000 TL in proceeds. The cost of Fenerbahçe to us was also 3,000 TL. Thus, we were neither defeated by Fenerbahçe nor left with debt. We were all flying with joy. In the evening, I had my wedding. Naturally, I can never forget that day in my life.'
In the first years of the Republic, so to speak, a club explosion was experienced in İzmir. There are sufficient signs showing that the Karşıyaka District did not remain outside of this development. In this context, we would like to mention Karşıyaka Sebat İdman Kulübü (KSİK) and Artezyen (Spor) Kulübü, whose existence we learned about from some writings sent to the Presidency of Altınordu Spor Kulübü dated 1928.
The seals stamped on the mentioned writings reveal that KSİK was founded in 1922 (must be immediately after the liberation). It appears that this club, which abbreviated its name as 'Ke Se Ke', had not been able to make its voice heard much until 1928. Aslan Tufan Yazman, who was the general secretary of Sebat, states in his memoirs that (in 1930) there were two sports clubs in Karşıyaka; he writes that one was KSK and the other was Sebat, whose name was later changed to Türkspor, and adds the following words: 'We students mostly supported this second club. Our president was Arif Erzeybek. Later, the general assemblies of the two clubs gathered together and made a decision to merge.'
The Karşıyaka March, composed by Music Teacher Halit Bey in 1925, introduced by Pianist Cemil playing it, with lyrics written by General Captain Cemal Ahmet Umar, which the KSK community has not dropped from its tongue for years, is as follows:
Kaf-Kaf-Kaf, Sin-Sin-Sin, Kaf-Sin-Kaf (Refrain) Long live glorious Kaf-Sin-Kaf long live We crowned you on our heads in our youth (Refrain) Our aim is to keep youth alive We are the youths of Kaf-Sin-Kaf May no painful sting remain in your heart May green-red swing on your horizon (Refrain) Our aim is to keep youth alive We are the youths of Kaf-Sin-Kaf Kaf-Kaf-Kaf, Sin-Sin-Sin, Kaf-Sin-Kaf (Refrain)
In the 1980s, we witness that initiatives were made to physically develop KSK (establishing facilities) and steps aiming to spread sports among children and youth (youth system/infrastructure) were taken. Karşıyaka Temel Spor Okulu, which opened in 1981 and started its work with 420 little ones, accepted 100 more little athletes in 1982 and was continuing to the second period called 'orientation' with its 160 students. At the beginning of 1985, interest and participation were great in the little ones football tournament organized jointly by the club's football school with the Karşıyaka Municipality. KSK, reaching its fifth championship in its history in February 1987, announced to the public that a football school would be established for the first time in Turkey.
One month later, the club re-handled the Karşıyaka Sports and Culture Foundation, a non-governmental organization it had decided to establish two years prior to contribute to the educational, athletic, and cultural activities of the neighborhood youth. It was announced that the purpose of the foundation, to be established in cooperation with Karşıyaka Municipality, was to identify talented children and youth in every branch of sports and provide support for their athletic training; the founding members would be: Nevzat Çobanoğlu, Sedat Kahraman, Seracettin Hakyemez, and Metin Karadayı. KSK could not be permanent in the First League, as it was named at the time. After a few years where it found a place in the middle ranks, it rapidly went to the bottom in the 1990-91 season. An İzmir newspaper was writing that KSK was going towards a record among the 230 teams competing in the Turkish leagues, and the red-and-greens had not been able to get three points for 11 weeks, neither on their home field nor on an away field. When the words of Technical Director Tamer Kaptan, 'Karşıyaka will definitely not be relegated. I saw this reality once more in the Galatasaray match. My footballers' biggest problem is not being unable to score goals, but being afraid of missing goals. For this reason, we cannot win for weeks,' did not change the course of events, the team fell to the second league. Rumors that Zeytinburnu and Adanaspor, which were relegated together with Karşıyaka, would be pardoned and stay in the First League through a legislative proposal prepared by some politicians did not turn into reality. KSK, competing in Second League Group B, mathematically guaranteed the championship when it won the match it played against Altınordu on May 4, 1992 at Alsancak Field 8-2, and took a championship lap on the same field on May 10. Experiencing the championship joy once more in the 1994-95 season, KSK could not avoid being relegated again the following year.
The 1990s, when KSK rose to the First League twice and could not be permanent, were spent trying to overcome financial difficulties that had been a handicap since the mid-1960s. Club President Önder Baysoy said the following after the Galatasaray match where more than 15,000 spectators watched the match illegally without tickets:
'We survive on match gate proceeds, live broadcasts, and Spor-Toto, Loto revenues. If there are obstructions to these as well, what will our end be? We will make a proposal to the (Youth and Sports) Provincial Director, Mr. Bahri Vreskala. Whatever the financial cost of the turnstiles to be placed at the gates is, we as the club will pay our share.' In February 1992, the club, which announced that it would work together with the KSK Foundation to solve the resource shortage, had its assets distrained by one of its former footballers, Talat Üzüm, in exchange for a 59,000 German Mark receivable.
In the days when it rose to the First League, KSK, which made income-generating plans with a construction company and gas station it would establish, could not be relieved even by the agreement made with SATEL/atv, which included live broadcasts of matches to be played with the big four. KSK, which made President Süleyman Demirel an honorary member during a visit he carried out in the Autumn of 1993, found the remedy in incorporating (becoming a joint-stock company) in the Autumn of 1997. The President of the Honor Board of the club, Selçuk Yaşar, was saying the following to an İzmir newspaper: 'I am completely in favor of incorporation. I applaud the decision Yeni Asır took for Göztepe. By the new year, Karşıyaka will also incorporate. I have been working on this issue for four months. We also adopted the Galatasaray model for Karşıyaka...'
