Why one Irish team is set to face Salah's Trabzonspor
Drogheda United will travel to Turkey to face Trabzonspor at the 40,000-seat Papara Park as part of a special relationship between the two clubs.
In August, Mohamed Salah was presented to Trabzonspor supporters in front of a packed 40,000-seat Papara Park. At the same time, Drogheda United played a 0-0 draw in a League of Ireland match in Galway with 5,000 fans in attendance. However, on Thursday, the two clubs will face off in a friendly on Turkey's Black Sea coast as part of a two-decade-long connection.
In 2006, a few Trabzonspor fans noticed the resemblance between the Irish club's star and crescent symbols and their own club colors, leading to a correspondence between the two clubs. The friendship between Ireland and Turkey dates back to the 1800s when the Ottoman Empire provided humanitarian aid to Ireland during the Great Famine.
More recently, Drogheda went into administration in 2008, and Trabzonspor fans sent them financial support. The two clubs became official sister clubs in 2010, with plans for a ceremony-friendly in Dublin in 2013, which was eventually held in 2020 due to rain. The upcoming friendly between the two clubs has been anticipated for a long time, with Trabzonspor fans reacting positively to the news.
Many Drogheda fans have Turkish connections, and some Trabzonspor fans have even offered their homes to visiting supporters. Salah's absence from Egypt's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier may increase the significance of this friendly match, but the relationship between the two clubs remains strong regardless.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport Football's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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