Elazığspor

Elazığspor is a Turkish professional football club located in Elazığ and currently competes in the TFF Second League. They play their home games at Elazığ Atatürk Stadium in Elazığ, which has a maximum capacity of 18,423. The club was founded in 1967. They have also played in the Süper Lig many times in the past.

History

Elazığspor was founded in 1967 when three clubs (Merkez Gençlik, Güvenspor and Harputspor) were united to form a strong team for the city of Elazığ. The club's emblem refers to a famous local dance called Çayda Çıra. This dance is performed with candles in the hands. Elazığspor's main rivals are Malatyaspor. The cities Elazığ and Malatya, were Malatyaspor play, are neighboring cities. Due to the rivalry meaning a lot to those fan bases, extra security is almost a necessity to make sure of safety. Due to the fan bases dislike for each other, sometimes the visiting team's fans will not be allowed to attend the game due to security reasons. Usually, there will be around 30 journalists from Malatya to attend the game whenever the rivalry is being hosted by Elazığspor. The “Doğunun derbisi” has become one of the biggest football rivalries in Turkey.

One friendly match that Elazığspor played versus Diyarbakırspor on September 5, 2011, turned tragic. Fans of both teams threw stones and hard objects at each other. One lieutenant and 1 expert sergeant died to the fan's behaviors. A total of 6 people were injured. These events happened during the middle of the match, as the game had to be delayed until the events that were going on came down. The club has played in the Second and Third Leagues for several years. Finally in 2002, the club was promoted to the Turkish First Football League. However, in 2004, they were relegated to the TFF First League again. They were relegated to the TFF Second League in 2008 after finishing in 16th place.

In January 2019, Elazığspor hit the news after signing 22 players in 2 hours on 30 January, after negotiating the end of a transfer ban imposed by the Turkish Football Federation. The club, which made so many transfers in such a short time, entered the Guinness Book of Records.

The club withdrew from the 2019-20 2. Lig after the 2020 Elazığ earthquake. Next season, the club was allowed to compete in the 2020-21 2. Lig.

League participation

Turkish Super League: 2002–04, 2012–2014
TFF First League: 1974–82, 1983–85, 1986–87, 1990–92, 1995–02, 2004–08, 2011–12, 2014–2019
TFF Second League: 1968–75, 1985–86, 1987–90, 1992–95, 2008–11, 2019–2021, 2024–
TFF Third League: 1982–83, 2021–2022, 2022–2024

Current squad

As of 16 January 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.