Graeme Souness recreates infamous Galatasaray moment as he waves giant flag during title party

Graeme Souness is best remembered in Turkey as the manager who controversially planted a Galatasaray flag in the center of Fenerbahce’s pitch – and on Sunday night he rolled back the years to recreate the infamous moment.

Souness, who spent a year in charge of Galatasaray in the mid-1990s, returned to his former club to watch them clinch the Turkish Süper Lig title after their 3-0 win over Fenerbahce.

After clinching their first championship in four years, the party at Galatasaray’s NEF Stadium was in full swing as they swept aside their bitter rivals, even inviting their old manager to join the party.

While the stage was being built for the trophy lift, Souness walked onto the field and waved a giant flag almost identical to the one he planted on the Fenerbahce field 27 years ago.

During his spell as manager, the Scot infamously stormed onto the pitch and tacked a Galatasaray flag to Fenerbahce’s center circle after the second leg of the 1996 Turkish Cup Final at their Sukru Saracoglu stadium.

Souness’s side had just claimed the trophy courtesy of Dean Saunders’ extra-time winner, and he celebrated with a controversial gesture that nearly sparked a riot in Istanbul.

The flag stayed in place for just a few seconds before being ripped out by a Fenerbahce fan, though that was more than enough to cause furious scenes as objects rained down as he sprinted through the tunnel shielded by police.

The moment entered Galatasaray folklore and fans paid tribute to Souness with a huge tifo of the 2014 flag incident.

His actions have been compared to those of the Ottoman general Ulubatli Hasan, who raised the flag of victory at the siege of Constantinople in 1453. Fans of Galatasaray still refer to their former manager as ‘Ulubatli Souness’.

Although he didn’t put it in the turf on this occasion, Souness was taken onto the field to wave the same flag after their victory over Fenerbahce on Sunday night in an apparent reference to the incident.

Reflecting on his iconic moment as Galatasaray boss, he said on Sky Sports’ The Football Show in 2020: “When I first went there nine months earlier, one of their [Fenerbahce’s] vice presidents questioned Galatasaray’s wisdom by signing a “cripple” referring to me with the heart surgery I had.

“A year later we won the trophy in their stadium and we go to where our supporters are and a big flag is handed over the fence.

“All players wave the flag a few times, it is handed to me and I have a few waves and look to hand it to someone. But there was no one to pass the cup on, as all the players had gone back to the halfway line to get the cup. So I jog to the center line with this big flag in my hand.

“I look in the bleachers emptying, I look in the director’s box and saw this man’s face. He stood up.

“I thought, ‘I’ll show you who’s crippled,’ which wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I managed to get the flag in after about the third attempt in the center circle and turned to see supporters now climbing over the fences to get onto the pitch.

“So I found a bit of pace somewhere, sprinted into the tunnel and got away with it. I then sit in the dressing room and think “that’s me, I’m done, I have a plane ticket and I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Our board came in 10 minutes later with tears in their eyes and said, “This is the best thing that has ever happened to the football club.” I’ve never kissed so many mustachioed men in my life.

“It wasn’t directed at Fenerbahce, it was directed at this man who said unkind things about me.”