Istanbul giants Galatasaray has become the first team to remove the word "arena" from the name of its stadium after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's latest call to remove of the word - reflecting death and brutality - from the names of stadiums in his latest bid to protect Turkish language.

The decision to rename Türk Telekom Arena located in Istanbul's European side was taken at the club's board meeting on May 27. Alper Narman, a board member responsible for the stadium, said that the stadium will be renamed Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex Türk Telekom Stadium as of May 29.

Erdoğan said on Friday that he had instructed the sports minister to order the removal of the word "arena" from the names of all sports stadiums across Turkey. "I am against 'arenas.' You know what they do in arenas, don't you? People were dismembered there (by animals). I have given the instruction to the minister and we will remove the name 'arena' from stadiums. There is no such thing in our language. Look at the definition, there cannot be such a thing," he said.

Erdoğan then urged the audience to look at the "meaning and interpretation" of arena.

He was referring to ancient Roman games in which gladiators and wild animals entertained spectators including in the Colosseum in Rome. Many condemned criminals would face wild animals in public executions in such arenas.

Earlier this week Erdoğan referred to historic "European arenas" as he said past events in arenas meant using the term was "neither polite nor elegant". He then stressed the need for Turkey to develop its own language.

Over the past couple of years, many Turkish football clubs have switched to their new stadiums constructed through the government's bid to modernize sports facilities. Mainly with the backing of naming rights sponsors, most of these new structures were named "arenas," resembling their European or North American examples.

The president had previously signaled his unhappiness with the term "arena," heralding the latest order. During the inauguration of the new municipal stadium in northeastern province of Bursa in 2015, which was named "Timsah Arena" (Crocodile Arena) after Bursaspor's nickname "Timsahlar" (The Crocodiles) Erdoğan criticized both the use of arena and the symbol of crocodile, which is not a native species of Turkey.

Last year's champions Beşiktaş also moved to their new home ground by the Bosporus in April 2016, the 40,000-seated Vodafone Arena, which replaced the old Inönü Stadium.

Fenerbahçe's basketball venue, home of last weekend's EuroLeague champions, is called the Ülker Sports Arena.