Graeme Souness’ regret over Galatasaray flag and reason for infamous stunt

Graeme Souness is still remembered for his infamous flag controversy as Galatasaray manager, with Liverpool preparing to play the Turkish club in the Champions League

Liverpool icon Graeme Souness has previously confessed to regretting his notorious flag incident during his time as Galatasaray boss. The Reds are poised to take on the Turkish giants at Rams Park in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Souness, who is preparing to team up with Gary Lineker on a new TV show, had been out of management for over 12 months following his departure from Liverpool before landing the Galatasaray position in 1995. The Scottish tactician brought in three former Reds – Dean Saunders, Barry Venison and Mike Marsh – while also securing future Liverpool keeper Brad Friedel during his single campaign in charge.

The domestic season proved disappointing for the former Sky Sports analyst and Galatasaray, who could only manage a distant fourth-place finish as bitter rivals Fenerbahce claimed the title. Yet Souness’ team managed to exact their revenge in the Turkish Cup final.

As the club celebrated their victory, Souness’ decision to stick a Galatasaray flag into the heart of Fenerbahce’s pitch sparked chaotic scenes. The two-legged cup decider had seen both games finishing 1-0 after normal time, forcing extra time in the second leg. Ex-Liverpool striker Saunders struck the decisive blow in the 116th minute, but Souness believed he had unfinished business with a Fenerbahce official.

“One of their [Fenerbahce’s] vice-presidents had said ‘What are Galatasaray doing signing a cripple?’ He was referring to the open-heart surgery I had,” Souness previously revealed to Goals on Sunday.

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“We win the trophy and after the game, all of our players ran down to one end where our supporters were and that great big flag was handed over. All the players took turns to wave it and then it’s my turn, I give it a few waves and then turned to hand it to someone. They had all ran off to the halfway line.

“I’m jogging up to the halfway line with this flag and I’m looking into the emptying stands and I can see this guy’s face who had called me a cripple. ‘I’ll show you who’s a cripple.’

“I turn around and I realise all the supporters are now climbing over the fence and I’m thinking, ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.’

“Then I get under the perspex shields of the police, I’m in the tunnel and saying to myself, ‘Got away with that one.’ Just as I thought that, I got clumped on the side of the head. Some supporter had got into the tunnel!”

The subsequent years have enabled Souness to look back on his questionable decision-making, though the moment remains a legendary football scene. “It’s one of them things that you wish you hadn’t done, but at the time, it seemed like a good idea,” he admitted.

While Souness may have had second thoughts about his behaviour, he continues to be adored by Galatasaray supporters. In 2023, the Liverpool legend repeated his flag celebration when Galatasaray clinched the league championship after a 3-0 home triumph against Fenerbahce.

The original incident has become an iconic football story. Many years later, former Liverpool striker Saunders, who netted 21 goals for Galatasaray that season, vividly remembered the chaos in the stadium.

“Not only were 62,000 people devastated they had lost to Galatasaray, he then picked the flag up and ran past me to the centre circle, but he couldn’t get it in,” Saunders recounted on talkSPORT in 2023. “He ran past me on his way back and I just said ‘all the best’.

“This Fenerbahce fan has tried to get to him by the tunnel and he’s gone bang, right hook. He’s hit the fan and he’s gone down. All the riot police with the shields, they were Galatasaray fans and were saying ‘how dare you break Graeme Souness’ hands with your jaw’. They were roughing him up.”

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