'Arial Out!': Turkish Fans Launch Protest to End 12-Year 'Nightmare' of Generic Arial Süper Lig Kit Font

A growing movement of Turkish football fans and kit enthusiasts has launched a formal protest against the mandatory use of the generic Arial font on all Süper Lig jerseys, a rule that has been in place for the past 12 seasons. Under the hashtags #ArialOut and #ArialFontİstemiyoruz ("We don't want Arial font"), fans are demanding an end to what they call a "nightmare" that strips the league and its historic clubs of visual identity.

The campaign is led by Turkish kit experts @esvaphane, and a dedicated account (@arialfontlaneti) to remove the Arial font has been created as well.

The Problem: A Generic Font for Passionate Clubs & Fans

Custom fonts (top) compared to the generic Arial font (bottom) highlight the fans' frustration.

Since the 2013-14 season, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has mandated that all clubs use the Arial font for player names and numbers. Fans argue that Arial, a standard system font designed for documents, is completely at odds with the passion and heritage of football. They point out that iconic clubs like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş, known for their rich histories and vibrant colors, are forced to use a font one would expect in a "PowerPoint presentation."

This aesthetic issue has affected numerous global stars who have played in the league, including Wesley Sneijder, Mauro Icardi, Lukas Podolski, and Radamel Falcao, all of whom had to wear jerseys with the uninspired typeface. One fan poignantly described the result: "jerseys that are beautiful from the front look like they were printed at a local market stall from the back."

The Campaign: A Formal Push for Change

The protest has now evolved into an organized campaign. Fans are being encouraged to email the TFF and submit official requests to the Ministry of Youth and Sports via the "Cimer" portal to make their demand for change visible to the authorities.

If Premier League was Turkish Süper Lig

To draw attention to the poor appearance, fans created mock-ups in which they imagined leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga using the Arial font. The Arial font is located below the back sponsors, which are also an integral part of Süper Lig jerseys (there are also side sponsors and sponsors in many other places...).

The core arguments laid out in a sample petition provided by the campaign are:

Lack of Brand Value: Compared to other major European leagues that have invested in unique, custom-designed fonts (Premier League since 1997, La Liga since 2017, Serie A since 2020), the Süper Lig's use of Arial negatively impacts its brand perception and the corporate identity of its clubs.

Not Fit for Purpose: The petition states that Arial "was not designed for textile products or the sports industry" and is not a font specific to the Süper Lig, unlike the bespoke systems used elsewhere.

Request for Freedom or a New Identity: The campaign asks the TFF to either grant clubs the freedom to use their own fonts (as in the Bundesliga) or to commission a modern, readable, and aesthetically pleasing font specific to the Süper Lig.

The topic even made it to the Turkish parliament yesterday.

The original decision was made over a decade ago by former TFF president Yıldırım Demirören. With little focus on kit aesthetics within the federation since, the rule has remained unchanged.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has officially responded to the growing fan protest against the mandatory use of the Arial font on Süper Lig kits. TFF General Secretary Abdullah Ayaz has confirmed that the issue will be formally reviewed, giving hope to fans that the 12-year "nightmare" could soon be over.

"We will discuss the Arial font issue with the broadcasting organization and our referees. We will bring this topic to the table at the Board of Directors meeting. We may make a change there."

What do you think of the Süper Lig's mandatory Arial font? Is it time for a change to a custom typeface? Let us know in the comments below.