Southampton owners Sport Republic purchase 70% stake in Turkish club Göztepe S.K.

Southampton owners Sport Republic announced that they have acquired a 70% controlling stake in Turkish football club Göztepe S.K.

Göztepe joins Southampton as the two clubs in Sport Republic’s portfolio. It’s expected that more clubs will be added in the near future.

This purchase is the firs time foreign ownership has entered Turkish football. The club is based in the Göztepe and Güzelyalı neighbourhoods of Izmir - Turkey’s third most populous city.

Sport Republic CEO Rasmus Ankersen will become chairman of Göztepe, who will play in Turkish football’s second tier this season following relegation from the Süper Lig in the 2021-22 campaign.

“Göztepe S.K. has a lot of potential for growth. It has a unique and very large following as well as a high-quality infrastructure, in particular a new and beautiful stadium located in Izmir,” Ankersen said in an official press release.

“With almost five million inhabitants on its doorstep, we believe the club offers an opportunity to build a strong pipeline of homegrown talent.

“Being the first foreign investors in Turkish football comes with extra responsibilities and attention. We know it will not be without challenges, but we are committed to our long-term vision of fulfilling the potential of Göztepe.

“The passion for football in Turkey is truly special and we hope that our methodology and ideas can help develop Göztepe further.”

Chairman of Sport Republic, Henrik Kraft, added: “We are very excited to announce our investment into Göztepe S.K. and add the club to the Sport Republic family. We have been working on this for a long time and are very pleased that it was possible to come to an agreement.

“The ambition of all of us at Sport Republic is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world and then use our wider portfolio of sports technology businesses to accelerate the development of those companies. We can’t wait to get started and begin implementing our strategy with Göztepe.”