As the Süper Lig giants Beşiktaş celebrated their 120th anniversary, on Friday President Ahmet Nur Çebi took a moment to pay tribute to the club's remarkable existence and achievements with a heartfelt message of congratulations.
The Black Eagles Club has a storied history, tracing its roots all the way back to the Osman Pasha Mansion at No. 51 in Serencebey on March 3, 1903, when a group of 22 young people decided to train together.
Çebi, in his heartfelt message on the website of the Black and White club, paid tribute to the late Mehmet Şamil, Hüseyin Bereket and Mehmet Ali Fetgeri, who are acknowledged as the founding fathers of Türkiye's first sports club, Beşiktaş Bereket Gymnastics Club.
He also mentioned that Beşiktaş is special due to its status as one of the oldest clubs in the world and praised the great reverence for the legacy of Ahmet Fetgeri, Nazım Nazif and Hüseyin Hüsnü Bey.
Before delving into the details of his message, Çebi expressed sympathy and sadness for the victims of last month's devastating earthquakes that left Türkiye in a state of mourning.
"Following the catastrophic earthquake we experienced in Türkiye, our club was able to swiftly reach the disaster-stricken areas with the generous aid of our sponsors and the tireless contributions of all members of our community, under the meticulous orchestration of our board of directors. We will remain steadfast in our commitment to our earthquake victims, and with a strategic approach, we will continue to fulfill our social obligations for the foreseeable future. Thus, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to our community for their unfaltering solidarity and unity," he said
Emphasizing that the focus of all the projects they plan on the 120th anniversary of their establishment will be the contribution to earthquake zones, Çebi said, "Naturally, we will not hold the 120th-anniversary celebrations that we planned due to our national mourning. We commemorate our members, athletes and members with respect and mercy, may the Almighty have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives due to the earthquake. I offer my condolences to their relatives and our beloved nation, and a speedy recovery to our injured people."
