Karşıyaka head coach Nenad Marković said his rebuilt squad will do their best as the club prepares to host Fenerbahçe in the Basketbol Süper Ligi, Fanatik reported. The team enters the fixture with a 2-2 record through the first four weeks of the season after surviving major financial turbulence over the summer.
Marković Details Difficult Summer and Roster Construction
The Bosnian coach returned to the İzmir club for a second stint, nine years after his previous tenure. Marković explained that the offseason brought uncertainty regarding player recruitment and finances.
“Summer months were not very easy because we didn’t know exactly how it would go,” Marković said. “Which players we could sign, we didn’t know. I was one of the callers for players and agents. Everyone first asked about the club’s financial situation, salary payments.”
Marković added that agents pointed to FIBA bans resulting from past unpaid wages at Karşıyaka. To secure commitments, he relied on personal relationships and confidence in the administration. He specifically requested leadership from Weber, praised El-Amin as an effective scorer, and highlighted James Kelly, whom he previously coached in France and Turkey for two seasons.
Assessing the Basketbol Süper Ligi
Characterizing the Turkish top flight alongside Spain as the strongest domestic competition in Europe, Marković pointed to four dominant contenders: Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Bahçeşehir Koleji. All other clubs, he noted, fight either for playoff positioning or relegation survival.
“After the first four matches, I can say we reached our initial targets,” Marković said. “Even though we lacked our fans, we needed to win our first two home matches. This was very important.”
Fenerbahçe Test at Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Karşıyaka Spor Salonu
Karşıyaka will play its first home match in front of supporters in five and a half months when Fenerbahçe visits Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Karşıyaka Spor Salonu. The tip-off is scheduled for 15.30 local time on Saturday. The club served a spectator ban issued by the Turkish Basketball Federation’s Disciplinary Board following incidents at the end of last season, forcing them to play their first two home games behind closed doors. Normal seating tickets sold out immediately upon release.
“Fenerbahçe is one of the strongest teams in Europe,” Marković said. “At home with our fans, it’s the best opportunity match to see where we are. If we try to do our best, if we fight until the end, it’s a match we can win together with our fan.”
Playoff Ambitions Without Repeating Past Drama
Reflecting on his first spell in İzmir—when Karşıyaka reached the Turkish Cup semifinals and the Champions League quarterfinals before missing the playoffs on the final weekend—Marković emphasized stability. He stated that the primary objective remains avoiding the near-relegation drama of recent seasons while maintaining realistic expectations following the early-season injury to Munford.
“At the beginning of the season, I would say our target is to stay in the league,” Marković said. “To stay in the league and achieve this without the drama of last season. Right now people think the target changed, but the target will also become clear with what happens during the year. We will fight for the playoff.”
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