1972–73 1.Lig

It was contested by 16 teams, and Galatasaray S.K. won the championship with help of doping.

Championship title hat-trick achieved with the help of doping

At the end of the 1972–73 season, Galatasaray, under English manager Brian Birch and featuring key players such as Metin Kurt, Gökmen Özdenak, Yasin Özdenak and Mehmet Oğuz, achieved the first league title hat-trick in Süper Lig history by winning the 1970–71, 1971–72 and 1972–73.^[1]

In 2005, the president of the Turkish Anti-Doping Centre incriminated before the parliamentary inquiry committee of the TBMM that between 1971 and 1974, Galatasaray players were treated with doping substances supplied by Birch from England, which enabled them to achieve the championship title hat-trick.^[2] The administration of Birch’s medication was confirmed by substitute player Yıldo, who was part of the Galatasaray squad between 1970 and 1972, though he did not know whether the substances were doping substances or vitamins.^[3] Following the departure of team manager Birch, one Galatasaray player after another fell ill for unspecified reasons.^[2]

In 2009, Metin Kurt, a key player in Galatasaray’s championship-winning team, confirmed in his published biography that he had taken doping substances in the form of pills and injections, but denied that Brian Birch was responsible for the doping.^[4]

• Turkey - List of final tables (RSSSF)