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Birol Ahi, a supporter of Bodrum FK, a football club based in the resort town of Bodrum on Türkiye's southwestern Aegean coast, traveled alone to an away match in Mardin, a city in southeastern Türkiye near the border with Syria, a round trip of more than 3,000 kilometers. His gesture led Bodrum FK to award him a lifetime season pass.
Ahi attended the September 7 match between Bodrum FK and Mardin 1969 Spor in the Trendyol First League, Türkiye's second-tier football division. He hung a Bodrum FK flag in the stands and supported his team alone for the full 90 minutes.
Ahi, a member of the Asi Tayfa supporter group, received a lifetime pass from Bodrum FK president Taner Ankara in recognition of the trip.
Ahi described an exchange with a security guard before the match. He said he told the guard, "We came, 100 people," when asked how many supporters had traveled.
When the guard later asked where the other 99 were, Ahi said he pointed to his chest and replied, "I showed him our crest and my heart. I said, they are all here, 99 people."
Ahi said watching players run toward the flag in the stands before kickoff made him "very happy."
On receiving the lifetime pass, Ahi said, "We have seen the Super League; we want to see Europe too. We want to see the Super League again, and I will not die without seeing Europe. Not one day, but every day, Bodrumspor. In good times we are Bodrumspor supporters, and in bad times we are Bodrumspor supporters until death."
Ahi said his support for the club extends beyond attending matches, recalling an accident during an earlier away trip to Rize, a city on Türkiye's Black Sea coast.
He said supporters had pooled money to buy a vehicle for away trips, and the vehicle crashed en route to Rize.
Describing the aftermath, Ahi said, "Our car spun out and stopped at the edge of a cliff, held by steel barriers. We all barely got out of the car. Some held their arms, some their legs, some their heads."
"As soon as we got out, one of our supporters turned to our stand leader and asked, 'Will we make it to see Dogan Reis play this match?' " That is what loyalty means. You are at the edge of a cliff; you have come face to face with death, but you forget everything to watch those 90 minutes."
Bodrum FK president Taner Ankara said Ahi's decision to watch the match alone in the stands was an example of fan loyalty and confirmed the club had given him a lifetime season pass. Ankara said he expected to see Ahi at future matches.
Ankara also said newly signed players were still adapting to the team and that the process would be completed within one to two weeks. He asked supporters to continue backing the team.
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