A friendship forged two decades ago between an Irish League of Ireland side and a Turkish Super Lig giant will culminate on Thursday when Drogheda United face Trabzonspor, now home to Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, in a long-awaited friendly on the Black Sea coast.
The contrast between the two clubs could hardly be starker. Last month, Salah received a rapturous reception from 40,000 fans as he was unveiled at Trabzonspor's Papara Park. That same weekend, Drogheda played out a goalless draw away at Galway in front of roughly 5,000 spectators. Yet despite the gulf in stature, the bond between the clubs runs deep and dates back to 2006.
According to Drogheda United chief executive Rian Wogan, the connection began almost by accident. "In 2006, in a Trabzonspor forum online, a couple of fans realised that there was a small Irish club that had the star and crescent, which are obviously symbols from the Turkish flag," Wogan told BBC Sport. "From there they then subsequently realised that our club colours are also claret and blue and messages started going back and forward."
That online discovery sparked a relationship that would deepen over the years, echoing a much older historical link between Ireland and Turkey. During the Great Famine in the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire sent humanitarian aid to Ireland, with the Sultan reportedly donating £1,000 to help those suffering. This year marks the 75th anniversary of official diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The bond between Drogheda and Trabzonspor was further cemented in 2008, when the Irish club entered examinership — the Irish equivalent of administration — and was docked 10 league points as a consequence. Word of Drogheda's struggles reached Trabzonspor's fanbase, who responded by sending letters containing cash donations to support the club through its difficulties.
In 2010, the two clubs formalised their relationship by becoming official sister clubs. Plans were later made for a ceremonial friendly to be played in Dublin in 2013, but fate intervened. "They travelled over here to play and there was a freak deluge of rain that fell within an hour of kick-off," Wogan recalled. "We had our staff in the turnstiles waiting to scan tickets in, but the game was deemed unplayable and Trabzonspor went home without playing the fixture."
More than a decade on, Thursday's match finally delivers on that unfulfilled promise. The announcement of the fixture on social media on September 2 triggered an enormous reaction, with the post on X viewed over half a million times. The scale of Trabzonspor fans' interest in Drogheda is reflected in the Irish club's online following, roughly 30% of which comes from Turkey — a higher proportion than from Ireland itself.
The connection extends well beyond social media. Trabzonspor shirts and flags are a familiar sight at Drogheda's home matches, and Turkish supporters have been known to travel to the club during the week simply to visit the stadium. Among them is Cafer Bektas, a Trabzonspor fan who lives just a few miles outside Drogheda and attends every home game. When he first arrived in the area wearing his Trabzonspor jersey, it drew curious attention from locals — and even earned him discounts in local shops.
Thursday's friendly will serve as the latest, and most high-profile, chapter in a relationship that has outlasted financial crises, failed fixtures, and vast differences in scale — proving that football rivalries aren't the only bonds the game can create.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.