The 2024–25 season is the 85th season in the history of Adana Demirspor, and the club's fourth consecutive season in Süper Lig. In addition to the domestic league, the team is scheduled to participate in the Turkish Cup.
Season summary
Pre-season Adana Demirspor, which concluded the 2023-24 season in 12th position in the Super League, terminated the contracts of numerous players and underwent notable changes to its squad due to the economic crisis that began at the conclusion of that season. The team faced significant challenges before the new season, with financial penalties from FIFA and UEFA due to unpaid debts emerging as a major obstacle.
Murat Sancak, who had stepped down from the presidency midway through the previous season, resumed his role prior to the start of the pre-season. An agreement was signed with Joma for the preparation of the jerseys. Michael Valkanis was hired as technical director.
Start of season Adana Demirspor started the 2024-25 season with an away match against Fenerbahçe, which they lost 1-0. The most notable aspect of Adana Demirspor's performance in the match was the inclusion of 15-year-old goalkeeper Deniz Eren Dönmezer in the starting lineup. In the following three matches, the team only obtained one point in their away match against Kasımpaşa. They remained at the bottom of the league after the first four weeks prior to the national match break between 2 and 15 September 2024.
Another key issue was whether the requisite payments would be made to lift the transfer ban imposed on the club prior to the summer transfer board, which closed on 13 September 2024. Despite repeated calls from fans via social media, President Murat Sancak was unable to lift the ban and declared it to the public one day before the transfer period ended. As a result, the club started the new season without making any new transfers. Due to difficulties in making payments, some players (Milad Muhammedi, Edouard Michut) who were in the squad for the Fenerbahçe match in the first week left the team in other weeks. Consequently, until the interim transfer period at the end of the first half, Adana Demirspor began competing with a limited squad comprising primarily youth and loan players from previous seasons. Valkanis was able to get only 1 point in the first 6 weeks of the season and the club announced that they parted ways with Valkanis on 23 September.
Then Serkan Damla took over the role for the coach but he also showed a similar poor performance. While the team was in last place with 2 points after 12 weeks, Damla announced his resignation on 28 November 28 2024. On 29 November, an agreement has made with Mustafa Dalcı for the role of head coach. Although the team secured its first victories under Mustafa Dalcı, they parted ways after the match against Çaykur Rizespor on 26 January 2025. The team's fourth coach was Mustafa Alper Avcı in this season. He had previously worked in Manchester City's youth academy. Avcı coached the team until the end of the season, securing 1 win and 3 draws. After the last match, he announced that he would not be at the team next season.
Murat Sancak, who was blamed for the financial crisis behind the team's performance and was the focus of criticism, also stepped down as president on 6 October 2024, handing over the position to board member Bedirhan Durak. However, this departure did not prevent Sancak from facing criticism on social media, particularly on his X account.
In February, in a match against Galatasaray, Adana Demirspor left the field in protest after a disputed penalty decision, leading to a 3-0 forfeit and a three-point deduction. Club chairman Murat Sancak received a 30-day suspension and a fine of 500,000 TL. Club official Cihan Eliçicek was banned from the locker room and bench for three matches and fined 292,500 TL.
Due to fines imposed by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and FIFA during the season, the team's points were reduced to -2, and its relegation from the Super League was confirmed with 10 weeks of the season remaining. Adana Demirspor managed to avoid finishing the season with negative points, thanks to 4 points earned in the last two weeks. Following a series of sporting setbacks, including three wins, five draws and 28 losses, the team concluded the season with a mere two points, despite a deduction of 12 penalty points.
Transfers In Out PlayerTransferred toFeeDateSource Al-ShamalEnd of contract GenoaEnd of contract Qarabağ FKEnd of contract Al SaddEnd of contract Club LeónEnd of contract Eyüpspor Persepolis Fortuna SittardReleased Motez NouraniReleased
Friendlies Pre-season The camp in Italy was canceled due to visa issues.
Competitions Overall record
Süper Lig
League table
Results summary
Results by round
Matches The match schedule was released on 11 July 2024.
Turkish Cup
References