Why Barcelona star Arda Turan has thrown his support behind Turkish president Erdogan again this week

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When Turkey midfielder Arda Turan was preparing for his wedding to TV star Sinem Kobal in June 2013, they had an important decision to make. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend and, as a conservative Muslim, he did not approve of the drinking of alcohol. So Turan, a vocal supporter of Erdogan’s Islamist government, said that no alcohol would be served until Erdogan left, out of respect.

The wedding never happened and within a few months the couple had separated. But the bond between Turan and Erdogan is as strong as ever, almost four years on. Erdogan is now President and is planning a new referendum to expand his powers. And Turan, who now plays his club football for Barcelona, is his most prominent celebrity backer.

Erdogan has been ruling Turkey for 14 years now, concentrating powers in his Justice and Development Party. He went from being Prime Minister to President in 2014 and the latest step is a referendum to give himself more powers over spending, and appointing judges, turning a nominally-ceremonial role into an all-powerful one.

This week Turan voiced his support for Erdogan’s power grab. “For a strong Turkey,” Turan said in a recorded message, “I am in.”

It was only natural for Turan to support Erdogan like this. The relationship between the most powerful man in Turkey and the most popular footballer benefits both men. Turkey were dismal at Euro 2016 and Arda, their captain, was booed by their fans in France. Erdogan took the unusual step of defending the captain in public, and even advising coach Fatih Terim that Turan should still be an important part of his team. Turan thanked Erdogan in turn on Instagram, to his 6.2million followers. After the attempted coup last July, Turan made it very clear he supported his president.

None of this has gone down very well with many Turkish football fans, many of whom oppose the Erdogan regime. When Galatasaray opened their new stadium, the Turk Telekom Arena, in 2011, Erdogan was booed and jeered at the ceremony. Besiktas’ left-wing ultras, the carsi, were instrumental in the Gezi Park protests against the government in the summer of 2013. He is not very popular at Fenerbahce either. This has put the big Istanbul clubs themselves in a difficult position, trying to tread a line between defence to their fans and not upsetting a regime who they cannot afford to upset.

Turan, though, has no interest in treading a line. His allegiance is to Erdogan. But he may pay attention to the stroy Hakan Sukur, the last Turkish football hero to get involved with politics. In 2011, three years after retiring as a player, he became an MP for Erdogan’s party. He grew disaffected, left the party and became a critic. Last August, after the failed coup, the government issued an arrest warrant for Sukur, claiming he was part of an armed terrorist group.