Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has congratulated the Amedspor football club on its promotion to the Süper Lig, marking a striking change in tone from a politician who previously denied the legitimacy of the club’s Kurdish name.

Bahçeli sent a congratulatory message to Amedspor Chairman Nahit Eren after the Diyarbakır-based club secured promotion to Turkey’s top football division for the first time in its history.

The message was notable because Bahçeli, a longtime nationalist hardliner and key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had sharply criticized the club in the past.

In 2023, after racist attacks on Amedspor during an away match against Bursaspor, he praised Bursaspor supporters for what he called their “national stance” and said, “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no place called Amed, so we can’t talk about Amedspor.”

In his latest message, Bahçeli described Amedspor’s promotion as a source of “color, excitement and a new breath” for Turkish sports and called it a “valuable development” for Diyarbakır and Turkish football.

Amedspor secured promotion on May 2 after a 3-3 draw with Alagöz Holding Iğdır FK, advancing on head-to-head advantage.

Several political figures, including Erdoğan, congratulated the club after the match. Bahçeli’s message, however, attracted particular attention because of his past rhetoric toward the club and his role in renewed peace efforts concerning Turkey’s Kurdish issue.

Bahçeli said he hoped Diyarbakır, which he described as one of Turkey’s most valuable cities with its historical depth and cultural richness, would become more vibrant socially, culturally and economically with Amedspor’s success.

He also added that he believed Amedspor would contribute to Turkey’s “climate of peace, unity and solidarity” by prioritizing fair play, sporting ethics and “the law of brotherhood” in the Süper Lig.

Amedspor is based in Diyarbakır, the largest city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast. The club changed its name in 2014 from Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyespor to Amedspor, using Amed, the Kurdish name for Diyarbakır.

Since then, the club and its supporters have repeatedly faced racist abuse and accusations from rival fans, particularly during away matches, that they support the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

Kurds in Turkey have long faced discrimination and accusations of links to the PKK, which has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Bahçeli has adopted a more conciliatory tone on Kurdish issues since October 2024, when he shook hands with lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in parliament. He later suggested that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan could be allowed to address parliament if he called on the PKK to lay down its arms.

The latest peace initiative gained momentum after Öcalan issued a call in February 2025 urging the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve itself. The group announced its dissolution in May 2025, ending four decades of armed conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives since 1984.

Police intervene after mistaking Senegal flag for PKK symbol

Amedspor’s promotion celebrations also drew attention after police intervened when the club’s Senegalese striker, Mbaye Diagne, unfurled his national flag on the pitch after the May 2 match in Iğdır, apparently mistaking it for a PKK symbol.

Footage shared by the Diyarbakır-based Med Gündem news website showed Diagne posing with the Senegalese flag, which has green, yellow and red vertical stripes and a green star in the center, before riot police and security officers surrounded him.

People at the scene can be heard trying to explain that the flag belonged to Senegal. “Chief, that is Senegal,” one person says in the video, while another says, “It is his own flag.”

Amedspor ve ligin gol kralı Mbaye Diagne, Iğdır’da maçın bitiş düdüğü ile ülkesi Senegal’in bayrağı ile poz vermek isterken, bayrağı yasadışı sanan Emniyet Müdürü ve korumaları müdahale etti. Amedspor yöneticisi Nihat Salmış araya girdi. pic.twitter.com/q7pmwleuFz

— Ferit ASLAN (@aslanferit21) May 4, 2026

The PKK flag features a red star in a yellow circle placed inside a green ring on a red background.

Diagne played a key role in Amedspor’s promotion campaign, scoring 29 goals in 36 matches this season.