Fatih Karagumruk

In the spring of 1926 (estimated to be May 18 or 19), the efforts of individuals such as Muhtar Bey, Acıçeşmeli Minareci İzzet, Aleattin Bey, Nazmi Bey, Bedri Bey, Karagümrüklü Abdullah Bey, Mustafa İzmirli, and Cemil Bey led to the establishment of a sports club named Karagümrük İdman Yurdu. This was achieved by merging the teams Acıçeşme Gençleri and Karagümrük Gençleri. Through the significant efforts of Karagümrük’s iconic figure, Muhtar Bey, the young members collected funds and secured a clubhouse on İşkembeci Malik Street. After completing official formalities, Karagümrük İdman Yurdu was officially founded. The club’s first president was selected as Arnavut Fevzi Efendi.

The team’s colors were also decided during this period. While Acıçeşme Gençleri favored black and white, Karagümrük Gençleri admired the navy-blue and red colors of Union Club, whose match they had watched in Kadıköy. Under the persuasion of Arnavut Fevzi Efendi, Karagümrük decided to adopt its colors from the Karagümrük Firefighters (Tulumbacıları). At that time, each neighborhood’s firefighters, who were also representatives of sports, had distinctive colors. The Karagümrük firefighters wore red shirts and black shorts. Thus, the newly founded Karagümrük İdman Yurdu’s uniform was unanimously chosen to be red and black, symbolizing fire (red) and smoke (black) in tribute to the firefighters’ success.

Karagümrük İdman Yurdu won the Republic Cup during the 1932–1933 season, defeating all opponents. The team also achieved success by winning the “Halk Fırkası” Cup during this period. In 1932, Karagümrük hosted the Thessaloniki Representative Team in a match played at their own stadium, winning 3–2. This made them the first non-affiliated club to bring a foreign team to Turkey, following the country’s three major clubs.

During this period, the club transferred Baba Hakkı (the all-time top scorer in Karagümrük’s history) to Beşiktaş. Notable players of the time included Necdet Gezen, journalist Asaf Ayçıl, Mustafa Çakar (father of referee Ahmet Çakar), Colonel Rıza Erseven (second top scorer in Karagümrük’s history after Baba Hakkı), and Galatasaray player Musa Sezer.

Until the 1942 season, Karagümrük competed in amateur leagues. At the end of the 1941–42 season, they were promoted to the Istanbul First Professional League as champions. However, a surprising decision followed this achievement. Through the initiative of then-Minister of National Education Hasan Âli Yücel, the Karagümrük Neighborhood Stadium was taken from Karagümrük and allocated to Vefa SK. Without a field to play on, Karagümrük was forced to suspend its activities until 1946.

On July 14, 1946, Karagümrük resumed its activities under the name Karagümrük Youth Club. Starting from the 5th Division in the 1946–47 season, they achieved consecutive championships and were promoted to the 2nd Division within three years.

In the 1955–56 season, Karagümrük led the establishment of the Second Professional League, making a significant contribution to Turkish football by promoting the league’s professionalization and the foundation of the football federation.

During the 1957–58 season, Karagümrük became the champion of the Istanbul Professional Second League. The club also made one of the first major transfers in Turkish football history by signing Kadri Aytaç from Galatasaray for 57,500 Turkish lira. In the 1958–59 season, Karagümrük remained undefeated and led the league until the last week of the first half, when they lost 3–2 to Galatasaray.

During these years, Karagümrük garnered widespread admiration, and their club songs became popular among other clubs in Anatolia. Karagümrük even lent its name and colors to Yimpaş Yozgatspor, contributing financial support for the establishment of the club. Yozgatspor initially competed under the name “Karagümrük Sports Club” with red and black colors from January 23, 1959, to June 28, 1961.

After facing financial difficulties, Karagümrük was relegated to the Third League for an extended period. However, they achieved back-to-back promotions during the 1981–82 season and the 1982–83 season, climbing back to the First League (modern Süper Lig).

During this period, their legendary coach Osman Odman, nicknamed “Lağım Osman,” developed several notable players. These included Abdülkerim Durmaz, who later joined Fenerbahçe, Oktay Derelioğlu, who transferred to Trabzonspor, and Serdar Topraktepe, who moved to Beşiktaş.

Karagümrük was relegated to the Second League in the 1983–84 season. On April 28, 1985, the club changed its name to “Fatih Karagümrük.”

The club experienced significant economic struggles in the 1990s, leading to further relegations. By the 1996–97 season, Karagümrük had fallen to the Amateur League. Despite consistently finishing at the top of their group, they were unable to secure promotion until the 1999–2000 season when they finally broke their streak of misfortune and returned to the Third League.

During the early 2000s, the club briefly found financial backing through sponsorship from Japanese electronics company Kyoto. However, the support lasted only one season, and Karagümrük was relegated again in the 2004–05 season. By the 2008–09 season, the club faced a second relegation to the Amateur League due to unfortunate circumstances.

In the 2011–12 season, Karagümrük won the Regional Amateur League, earning promotion back to the Third League.

After returning to professional leagues in the 2012–13 season, Karagümrük took a crucial step for the club’s future. On June 20, 2012, the club submitted an application for the registration of its new name and emblem with the Turkish Football Federation. The football branch of the Fatih Karagümrük Sports Club Association, covering both amateur and professional football activities, was transferred to “Fatih Karagümrük Sportive Activities Industry and Trade Inc.

In the 2013–14 season, Karagümrük finished 4th in their group in the Third League and qualified for the Play-Offs. After defeating Bergama Belediyespor in the semi-finals and 1920 Maraşspor in the final, they were crowned Play-Off Champions and promoted to the Second League. At this time, the club was owned by Cengiz Günaydın, who fought tirelessly for the club’s lost stadium and facilities but could not achieve results. Due to financial difficulties, Günaydın announced that the club was up for sale.

On June 26, 2018, Süleyman Hurma, a former sporting director of Kayserispor and Trabzonspor, purchased 71% of the club’s shares and became its president.

In the 2018–19 season, the club appointed Yusuf Şimşek as the head coach. However, after six matches, Şimşek resigned, and Cüneyt Dumlupınar took over. The team performed well under Dumlupınar, finishing second in their group in the Second League and qualifying for the Play-Offs. Karagümrük defeated Şanlıurfaspor in the quarter-finals and Manisa FK in the semi-finals, eventually beating Sakaryaspor in the final to secure promotion to the First League.

The 2019–20 season began with Cüneyt Dumlupınar, but his tenure was abruptly terminated. Following this, team captain Erkan Zengin was temporarily entrusted with managing the squad. On November 27, 2019, Giray Bulak was appointed as the head coach. However, Bulak’s tenure was short-lived due to poor results, with only one win, one draw, and three losses. On December 28, 2019, Karagümrük parted ways with Bulak.

In January 2020, president Süleyman Hurma made an unprecedented decision by appointing Ömer Erdoğan as head coach despite his lack of managerial experience. Karagümrük excelled under Erdoğan, suffering only one loss in 12 matches, but he left due to disagreements with management.

On July 2, 2020, Karagümrük announced former player Şenol Can as the new head coach. Can led the team to a 5th-place finish in the First League, qualifying for the Play-Offs. Karagümrük defeated Akhisar Belediyespor in the semi-finals and Adana Demirspor in the final, securing promotion to the Süper Lig.

The 2020–21 Süper Lig season marked Karagümrük’s return to top-tier football after 36 years. The club finished the season in 8th place with 60 points under Italian coach Francesco Farioli.

In the following seasons, Karagümrük continued to make bold managerial appointments, including hiring Volkan Demirel and, later, Italian legend Andrea Pirlo. However, managerial changes were frequent, with both coaches departing after short tenures.