Mohamed Salah deal brings Trabzonspor £11.5m in season-ticket sales in three days

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan says the club’s deal to sign Mohamed Salah generated almost 550m Turkish lira (£11.5m; $11.5m) in season-ticket sales within just three days, while legal action has been taken over claims that the player’s wages were seized.

The figure was reached shortly after the announcement that Salah had joined the Turkish club, and does not include sales of shirts carrying the Egypt international’s name. Those shirt sales have not yet been fully calculated.

Speaking to Turkish broadcaster HT Spor, Dogan said the season-ticket income alone had already covered more than half of the annual cost of Salah’s contract.

Trabzonspor is targeting 25,000 season-ticket sales, which Dogan believes would allow the club to cover the full cost of the agreement.

The response from supporters has exceeded the expectations of the club’s administration. Dogan said fans had been hoping to see a player of Salah’s stature arrive, while the coaching staff had also been waiting for a signing of that scale.

The president said Trabzonspor had understood beforehand that supporters wanted the club to make a major signing, but had not anticipated either the speed or the size of the reaction.

He thanked the fans, saying they “did not disappoint us”.

Dogan also firmly rejected claims that the Turkish government had provided financial assistance to help complete the deal. He said Trabzonspor’s bank accounts had not received “a single lira” from any government body in relation to the transfer.

The president described suggestions of state funding as “a big and unethical lie” and challenged anyone making the allegations to produce evidence.

He also addressed reports circulating on social media that Salah’s salary had been subject to a court seizure. Dogan said such an action was legally impossible and confirmed that Trabzonspor had begun legal proceedings and filed a complaint against those responsible for publishing the claims.

The club president criticised the fact that the allegations had also been repeated by major media organisations and television channels, arguing that this damaged the image of Turkish football.

Trabzonspor announced the signing of Salah late last week. The former club’s deal was completed as a free transfer and runs for two seasons, making it one of the most prominent acquisitions in the club’s recent history.

The financial impact of the move has therefore been immediate, with the season-ticket revenue arriving only days after the announcement. The total reported by Dogan does not include the additional income expected from Salah-branded shirts, meaning the club’s full commercial return from the transfer remains unknown.

No government funding has been identified by Trabzonspor, while the legal complaint represents the club’s response to the separate claims concerning Salah’s wages.