His name was Marko Ivkovic

Last week in Istanbul, Red Star Belgrade fan Marko Ivkovic was murdered by a coward claiming to be a supporter of Galatasaray.

Marko was not a hooligan. Marko was a 25-year-old doing what so many men and women of his age love to do, travelling thousands of miles to support his team. Just a few months ago, myself and many of my friends made the same journey to Istanbul to support our team. We came home, but tragically, Marko did not.

To use a knife on anybody is an act of cowardice, but what happened in this case is especially sickening. After noticing that trouble had broken out close to him, he turned and walked away so as to not become involved in the violence. Despite not being involved in the violence or provoking the home supporters in any way, he was attacked without warning and stabbed in the back. The coward who murdered Marko Ivkovic did not even have the courage to look him in the eyes as he did it.

For English supporters, this story is all too familiar. Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were two loyal Leeds United fans who lost their lives in Istanbul before a Champions League game. Last year, Fenerbahce supporter Burak Yildirim was killed after the derby against Galatasaray. It is important to remember that these are not just names you read on the internet, pictures you see in the newspaper. They are sons, brothers, fathers and husbands. They are people like you and me who woke up one morning excited to go and watch their team, and were dead just a few hours later.

Supporters from many clubs were quick to pay tribute to Marko, including other Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Besiktas. Red Star were also supported by Partizan, who displayed a condolence banner and burned a Galatasaray flag at their next game. Every other Belgrade club also paid tribute to their city brother who would never come home. Below you can see a small selection of the many tributes which have been paid:




Serbian fan groups from many different clubs unite to pay tribute to Marko




In addition to these tributes, supporters from CSKA Moscow, Olympiakos, Feyenoord, Leeds United, Sparta Prague and many others have shown respect to the man they never knew, but shared so much in common with.

Clearly, not every Galatasaray supporter is responsible for these acts. They have hundreds of thousands of fans, and I know that many of them will be sickened every time something like this happens. But the sad thing is, it is not enough. If a fan was murdered with a knife before a game in any other European country, and especially the Balkans, it would be condemned by the supporters groups instantly. Indeed, outside the section of Marakana where the Delije stand is a graffiti which reads ‘only pussies stab’



So why the silence from Galtasaray’s main group, ultrAslan? If they told supporters that they should only fight with their fists, this culture of knife violence could be stopped overnight. Instead, look at the comments and images which have been sent on Twitter following this murder:





These are not even the worst of the images sent by Galatasaray fans following this tragedy, with many being posted which are so bad I will not give them the satisfaction of being shared further. The disrespect was not limited to online. While many Galatasaray supporters stayed quiet during the minutes silence held following his death, many others whistled, jeered and sang offensive songs about Serbia.

Albanian supporters also celebrated the murder, posing with banners which read ‘Good job Galatasaray’ and ‘Burn in hell Marko’. Something has gone wrong in the world when people are celebrating murders in the way we celebrate scoring a goal or winning a game.


If you must fight at a match, then do it. Fight against others who wish to fight, and fight with your fists. A knife does not make you brave. A knife won’t make people respect you. A knife doesn’t make you a big man. If you want to look at a true example of a man, look at Marko. He provided for his family after his father was killed in the Balkan war, while getting good grades in school and never missing a game for his beloved team.

Marko Ivkovic was not only murdered by the man who stabbed him. He was murdered by Galatasaray head coach Ergin Ataman, who commented before the game that all Serbians were terrorists. He was murdered by the fact that the regular supporters of Galatasaray will not speak out against the prevalent knife culture at the club. He was murdered by the Turkish police, who refuse to provide the proper protection to visiting supporters, despite everything that has come before. He was murdered by UEFA and Euroleague refusing to take proper action when these incidents happen.

His name was Marko Ivkovic. Don’t forget it. Get angry about it. Use it to change something. Don’t let another supporter to go watch their team and not come home. If you are a Galatasaray supporter, you have the responsibility to not let this happen again. Make your team known around the world for the atmosphere you can create, and not the cowardice of attacking innocent people with weapons.

His name was Marko Ivkovic.

Supporters Not Customers sends our condolences to Marko’s family and friends and the whole of Delije. Sterker door strijd.

Posted on November 25, 2014, in General. Bookmark the permalink. 32 Comments.

  1. “We were all born to die once, honor and shame will live forever.”
    We all know who will be honored.

  2. no words to say

    Words are futile, turks won’t understand this, ever. This pictures are pure example why their government wanted to ban twitter in their country.

  3. Police is guilty in this murder..red star fans should have been protected , 300 fans walking along gala fans is not wise..by the way there are 20-25 millon galatasaray fans in turkey and there are lots of keyboard warriors…

    Ultraslan used to be a leftist and entellectual supporter organiastion but after our leader passed away some pro facist islamist guys at very young age started to control the group…but these pictures are terrifying..

    Im also a ultraslan member..my family was albanian and we are balkan refugees from kosova. Im a galatasaray fanaric who is very sorry for this young man…we understand the anger in balkans but problem is more deep in here…people carry knifes on streeet and you can easily be stabbed if you start to argue with someone. Also in last 10-14 years new goverment and tayyip erdogan tries to increase the pro islamist facist ideas in whole country…we are living in a madness…please dont all galatsaray fans , there are millions of gala fans who thinks this murder is insane..

  4. Marko was a member of 300 guys who came in secret to Istanbul to make trouble against regular GS fans before the hall. you are just lying about travelling for his club. no he was there with his mates for make trouble, trowing things on regular fans. just for etiquettte themselfs in the ultra scene.

    hypocrite lyers

  5. Leeds fans are killed cause of putting Turkish flag in their ass and disregarding that countries’ people, Burak Yıldırım was killed because he attacked with his friends to an alone Gsaray fan, and he wanted to protect himself.

    Now question is, what serbian fans were aiming on front of the saloon by throwing things and attacking individual fans there?

    suggesting you to think considerably before you make a smear campaign.

  6. And about our coach Ergin Ataman,

  7. I am a loyal Gala fan. You’re right, fight without knifes is acceptable. In any country, knifes are used by cowards and killers. I really hate that kind of people even if he’s a Gala fan. You should know that very few were happy and still doing that scabby things you mentioned. We Gala fans all feel intense sorrow about his death.

    We all ask 2 questions: -why did those serbian fans come to istanbul knowing they are not allowed to be in the arena?
    -why not any single police escorted them along their long way to arena

    Note that; it was a big luck that any Turkish weren’t killed / damaged(noone doesnt know if it happened) that day. as we heard, that “innocent” group attacek many people on their way!!!

    Any murder can not be explained by any cases, but Leeds and fb cases are very different. you should have learnt well before you wrote down…

    So, you should not generalize that case. the murderer had been found and arrested…

    • Andrea Putaine

      When looking for perpetrators/assassins, one should not neglect the size of Kosovo Albanian and Bosinan Moslem diapsoras in Istanbul.

  8. Allah is the BEST

    It is sad that he was killed and it is sad what thise world has come to. Not only do people lose lives in wars now they do in stupid things like going to support your team. “All Serbians are terrorists” yeah? how? what did Serbs ever do for poeple to say that. They mind their own business and protect whats their when being attaked. SHAME on all of you. People should be ashamed. Allah put us on this world to help one another and learn from one another not compete against one another and kill when ever we feel like it. Only he can take out life away, people are a big NOTHING. One day we will all have to answer to him and those who think will not burn, will BURN the most. SHAME ON YOU ALL. RESPECT TO MARKO, MAY PEACE BE UPON YOU AND MAY GOD FORGIVE YOUR SINS.


  9. What’s sickening here is racism.The fact that their head coach called them terrorists and the fact Albanians actually CELEBRATED a young life ending in such a terrible way,just because of the bad blood between Serbia and Albania.It’s no longer about who you are, it’s about what nationality and religion you belong to.Why generalize? Why call ALL Serbians war criminals? Why call ALL Muslims terrorists? Why call ALL Germans murderers? Why call ALL Turks genocidal? Leave it all in the past.A young life tragically ended.Someone lost their son,brother,friend…And it shouldn’t be celebrated,no matter what his nationality was.Shame on you if a death made you happy in any way,because it honestly has brought tears to my eyes,and I never even heard of either teams.
    Rest in peace,Marko.

  10. He was big supporter of genocide done by the serbs in Srebrenica.
    He was a piece of shit and he was looking for it.

  11. The guy who was detained this week for Marco Ivkovic was one of the closest friends of killers of the Leeds fans. Even this group involved in both murders of Leeds fans and Marco Ivkovic had been together before the Crvena Zvezda and Galatasaray match. Soon you can see these photos. the worst part is no lesson from past mistakes. RIP for all fans victims around the world.

  12. Feyenoord Jakarta

    Like this article a lot, did great respecting the guy and give a clear statement

  13. I am a Romanian, fan of Dinamo Bucharest, and I am deeply sorry for what happend to Marko. Furthermore I don t blame all the turks for what happend, but let us remember that the turks are the only empire who let nothing behind, every empire (romans, greeks, british, french, even germany and russia) left something behind in they re history. Sadly to say this type of actions where the only ones left behind the otoman empire and they re culture. May you will rest in peace Marko, and GOD, probably not on this world, but the ones who did this and approve this will pay.

  14. It’s the best time to make a few plans for the longer term

    Perhaps you can write next articles relating to this article.
    I wish to learn more things approximately it!

  15. We cannot exist with this much fykib hatred getta grip football is what it is but I eva got involed woz black white and every other shading did it for who was standing alongside them casuals unite we can change the world we done it before we can do it again

    I would like to look more posts like this .

    reading such pleasant articles.

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  19. Now I am going to do my breakfast, after having
    my breakfast coming yet again to read other news.

  20. Just want to say your article is as surprising. The clarity in your
    Thanks a million and please carry on the rewarding work.

  21. I always spent my half an hour to read this webpage’s posts everyday along with
    a cup of coffee.

  22. Let me tell you why so-called ultraslan did not react. It is simply because they did not feel sorry about this act. Actually, very few galatasaray fans felt sorry about it and more sadly, most of them even thought that Marko deserved it. Galatasaray fans are mostly mentally troubled people. Leeds fans was not a coincidence and Marko neither ! You would never see such a violence of the supporters of other Turkish teams’ like Besiktas or Fenerbahce.

  23. As a turk, I am very ashamed of what this savage did, and I am sorry to say that savageness can easily find supporters here. Some turkish people live and breathe hatred. R.I.P. Marko.

  24. Where do u know who is a holigan or not? if i was a normal fans maybe i can believe you. i cant understand exactly, do u mean marko was a normal fan and we killed him? No.., We just attacked redstar and someone was deat. he was marko, and he could be other one doesnt matter. If you come to istanbul secretly and If u are challenging us, pay for it. They came to punch us but we punished them. Thats all. Anyway rip Marko. Something that can happen to all of us came to you. We arent monster, We are just trying to protect the honor of this firm.

  25. Typical Mongol-Osmanic-Turcic Varvarians..
    R.I.P Marko Ivkovic.
    From Orthodox Hellas with LOVE.

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