Galatasaray form partnership with US club

The Lions have inked an international partnership with American outfit Phoenix Rising FC.

Turkey’s biggest football club, Galatsaray, have signed an international partnership with Phoenix Rising FC, both clubs announced on Friday.

The agreement is reported to include international exhibition matches, tournaments, discovery and training of youth football players, cooperation on football operations, commercial projects and training programs for coaches and players.

Galatasaray chairman Mustafa Cengiz said the partnership will help expand the Turkish club’s brand into the United States market, which is something they have been planning for a while.

Phoenix Rising FC, a club which plays in the second division, is where former Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba played in the final stages of his professional career. The Ivory Coast star is one of the co-owners of the club, which was founded in 2014.

In addition to the connection between the two clubs through Drogba, a Turkish businessman, Berke Bakay, helped bring the two sides together.

Bakay is the American club’s club governor and is a life-long Galatasaray supporter who has family ties to the Super Lig giants.