But yeah it's not really happening for him in Turkey even if it's just half a season to date with his current club. He's got a nice $1M plus payout from his time there. But he's at risk of falling off the AWs radar, stuck in the 2nd tier there. If he wants to have a serious crack at the 2026 WC squad, a move back to ALM is not a silly idea. Every bling club needs a rapper.
From memory he also has whanau in Auckland, and was even based there for a few months during Covid, or when he was clubless or something. His brother also played a bit at Estern Suburbs??
Turkey seems a very hard place for ALM players to have a successful career. Only Jedinak seems to have had sustained success, Boyd did until he made a fateful club switch. Vuka and Smeltz were basically on the plane back as soon as they arrived.
Turkey seems a very hard place for ALM players to have a successful career. Only Jedinak seems to have had sustained success, Boyd did until he made a fateful club switch. Vuka and Smeltz were basically on the plane back as soon as they arrived.
Aziz Behich (Turkish Cypriot heritage) was there a long time as well. He had a few seasons with Champness. But yes seems one of the more difficult countries to adjust to, unless you are likely of Turkish or Balkans type heritage. I mean witness the recent incident of the ref being punched.
Edit - no Champness. He hasn't played for Adanaspor since 6th November - over 2 mths ago. His most recent football was 20 mins off the bench against Greece for the AWs.
Turkey seems a very hard place for ALM players to have a successful career. Only Jedinak seems to have had sustained success, Boyd did until he made a fateful club switch. Vuka and Smeltz were basically on the plane back as soon as they arrived.
Aziz Behich (Turkish Cypriot heritage) was there a long time as well. He had a few seasons with Champness. But yes seems one of the more difficult countries to adjust to, unless you are likely of Turkish or Balkans type heritage. I mean witness the recent incident of the ref being punched.
Ufak Talay spent ten years playing in Turkey after he left Marconi Stallins in the NSL but he has Turkish ancestry of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufuk_Talay#Turkey Signed by mighty Galatasaray (28 apps) but mostly out on loan during his seven years on their books. Plenty of players from around Europe seem to find it okay there. Several Dutch internationals have seen out the later stages of their careers there.
Friend of mine saw someone get their throat slit at a football game in Turkey in the late 90s. The crowd then picked the victim up and threw him onto the field for the paramedics. Pretty tough place to play football.
No official word as yet however. Hasn't played for Adanaspor since early November and last got on the pitch for AW's in the 2-0 defeat to Greece.
Guess if it is true, then it likely clears the path for a move to the Auckland Knights. Although in saying that, you probably have to consider if he even wants to even keep on playing given his sporadic footballing journey these past few years.
I reckon he'd be keen to return to ALM with Auckland. He seems to have spent alot of time in the 09 last few years between Covid & contract disputes. Got family there. Appeared on NZ's The Project (there is an Aussie version also).
Surely a chance at going to a football WC is a once in a lifetime thing. Maybe Corica & co will let him do some music on the side. Good for Auckland FC marketing, drag in the millenials. The hip hop (or is it rap) football star. Tap into the Filipino expat community.
Niche Cache. His release from Adanaspor to Unattached FC now official. Filling in time, hanging out in an Auckland music studio near you? Or in QLD? I see YH just listed his brother Dan as playing in the QLD NPL with Moreton Bay.
Haven’t heard from JOWIC in ages, though there was a mention of him in our Substack email a few editions ago (always heaps of kiwi footy in those – be sure to sign up), the gist being that he’d been injured since the November international window (seemingly hurt whilst away with the All Whites) and that his Turkish club Adanaspor weren’t really sure if he would be back for the second half of the season.
Now it turns out that he won’t. It’s since been reported in Turkey that he has indeed been given an early release. The Turkish Football Federation website says that his contract was terminated on 29 January. So... yeah. Joe Champness is a free agent. You’d imagine the A-League should be as enticing for him as it’s proved for Marco Rojas and Tommy Smith with mid-season moves but we’ll let things play out in their own time.
He returned ill from the national team: Adanaspor parted ways with Champness
Our Trendyol 1st League representative, Adanaspor, cut the ticket for Champness, who returned sick from the New Zealand national team and could not even participate in training for a while.
The contract of 26-year-old winger Joe Champness, who returned ill from the international competitions he played with the national jersey and then continued his treatment first in Istanbul and then in his country when the interventions in the city were insufficient, was terminated by Adanaspor.
TFF was informed that the player's contract was terminated.
