Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu (lit. 'Besiktas Gymnastics Club'), also known simply as Besiktas (Turkish pronunciation: [beˈʃiktaʃ]), is a Turkish sports club founded in 1903 that is based in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, Turkey. The club's football team is one of the Big Three in Turkey and one of the most successful teams in the country, having never been relegated to a lower division. It was the first registered sports club in the country and one of the few that acquired the right to bear the Turkish flag on its crest.
Its football team has won 21 league titles including 16 Turkish Super Lig, three Turkish National Division and two Turkish Football Championship titles. Besiktas is also the only team to have won the Super Lig undefeated, in the 1991–92 campaign. The team last won the Turkish Super Lig title and Turkish Cup during the 2020–21 season.
The team also participates in European competitions regularly. Besiktas reached the quarter-finals of the 1986–87 European Cup and displayed the best Turkish team performance in the Champions League group stage by earning 14 points and progressing undefeated in the 2017–18 campaign. Besiktas have also reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals twice, in 2002–03 and 2016–17 seasons. Based on its UEFA coefficient, Besiktas is currently the highest ranked Turkish team and is ranked second all-time after its rival Galatasaray S.K.
The home ground of Besiktas is Vodafone Park, a 42,590-capacity all-seater stadium located by Dolmabahce Palace. The stadium has been considered one of the best in the world for location, design, comfort, technology, atmosphere and transportation.
The club's fan base, Carsi, is also well known globally. They were chosen as the best fan group in voting conducted by American sports viewers due to their 132-decibel noise record at a 2007 match against Liverpool FC. The group is involved with sociopolitical causes and is traditionally considered to be working-class and left-wing, supporting what is considered "the
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