Galatasaray news cheers Liverpool
Monday, September 4, 2006
Article summary
Galatasaray SK will play their home UEFA Champions League matches at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium - the scene of a memorable Liverpool FC triumph.
Article body
Liverpool FC will unexpectedly return to the scene of their greatest triumph of recent seasons after Galatasaray SK announced they will play their home UEFA Champions League matches at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium rather than their own Ali Sami Yen.
Better facilities
Galatasaray president Özhan Canaydın broke the news this afternoon after consulting the mayor of Istanbul, citing the Olympic stadium's larger capacity – 80,000 compared to the Ali Sami Yen's 24,000 – and better facilities as reasons for the switch. The venue hosted the epic 2005 UEFA Champions League final, won on penalties by Liverpool against AC Milan, and the Reds will be back in the city on 5 December for their concluding Group C game.
Aiming high
Canaydın, whose team also entertain FC Girondins de Bordeaux (12 September) and PSV Eindhoven (18 October), said of the initiative: "We're targeting 200,000 supporters for the three fixtures. Our aim is to go all the way to the final in Athens." The Turkish champions will sell one ticket to cover all three matches to home supporters.
