Denizlispor, once in the UEFA Cup, demoted to amateur league after two no-shows

Things keep getting worse for Denizlispor. The green-and-black club spent 21 seasons in the Süper Lig (Turkey's top flight) and represented Turkey in the UEFA Cup. Now they have refused to show up even in the amateur leagues.

Denizlispor dropped into the Denizli Super Amateur League at the end of last season. In the first two weeks of the new campaign, the team stayed away. First they skipped the match against Sarayköyspor. Then they announced they would not play Serinhisarspor either.

After two no-shows in a row, the relevant article of the Futbol Müsabaka Talimatı (Turkey's match regulations) kicked in. The result: Denizlispor were demoted to the 1st Amateur League.

Club president Urkay had said earlier that "this club has been used up." The fall of the long-established club has left the football community saddened.