TCL player accuses Galatasaray of not paying him for months
Turkish Championship League team Galatasaray is being accused of not paying their League of Legends team.
In a TwitLonger titled “GS Esports is not paying their players,” former Galatasaray player Barış “Tolerant” Çepnioğlu accused the organization of witholding his pay for four months.
Tolerant began by apologizing to fans who supported him during his time with Galatasaray, which ended in April. But he felt he had no choice to release the information.
According to Tolerant, he was initially understanding of Galatasaray and told them it was okay if his pay was two to three weeks late. But he started to grow suspicious when his payment kept getting postponed. He finally felt the need to publicly address the issue when Galatasaray esports manager Kerem Serbetci ignored his messages.
“I was often promised that the payment would be in the shortest possible time, but these were unfortunately empty. I would like to make it clear that this is not my intention to harm Galatasaray Esports,” Tolerant said.
Galatasaray Esports is owned by Galatasaray, a soccer club in Turkey. And it doesn’t seem like they are known for playing their field athletes either.
Galatasaray pay issues extend beyond esports
Galatasaray failed to pay soccer player Wesley Sneijder’s wages in 2014. At the time of the
report, Sneijder had not been paid since the start of the season. The playmaker earned €3.2 million ($3.5 million) per season at the time, and still had two years remaining on his contract.
Although Sneijder had stated that the club was working hard to come up with a solution, it appears that money woes have continued to plague the organization.
Last year, the UEFA Club Financial Control Body reviewed a settlement agreement with Galastasaray over its financial situation. The club was not in compliance with the break-even requirement of UEFA.
The agreement resulted in Galatasaray limiting their number of players and paying a fine to UEFA. The organization also agreed to report a maximum break-even deficit through the 2020 financial year.
If what Tolerant has accused Galastasaray of ends up being proven true, it appears that the organization is still having financial woes.
Galastasaray currently has teams in soccer, basketball, volleyball, and League of Legends.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
View full profile
Read Also
League of Legends
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LEC Summer split will be the deciding split to determine which teams can make it to the World Championship, and this preview aims to highlight everything you need to know about it. It isn’t a stretch to say that the LCK and LCP are the only two competitive League of Legends regions actually pulling their weight currently. The LEC did show potential at the start of the year, ...
League of Legends
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version?
Hannan Mundia
League Classic brings the classic League of Legends gameplay and design from when the game first came out, but how is it different from the modern version? The modern League of Legends mode is arguably in its best state in terms of popularity, with a study even reporting that playing LoL can improve brain function. Over a decade of gameplay and multiple marketing tactics by Riot Games have bumped up ...
League of Legends
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode
Hannan Mundia
League Classic sees the return of League of Legends Season 3, but which champions were deemed the best during that time? League of Legends has gone through a lot of changes since it first came out. While the map and item-related changes naturally impacted the game's state, so did the many champion nerfs, buffs, and reworks. Multiple champions played completely differently in Season 3 than they do now. Since League ...
Valorant
OBS Game Capture isn’t working on Valorant and League of Legends? Here’s why and how to fix it
Khizar Mundia
Several reports suggest that OBS Game Capture is broken, with Valorant and League of Legends streamers only being able to broadcast a black screen. OBS has responded to the issue, confirming that it exists and also provided a way to fix it. Valorant and League of Legends are two of Riot Games’ most popular titles, and they are being streamed on streaming platforms by creators regularly. On July 21, 2026, ...
League of Legends
Dplus sweeps Karmine Corp to win the 2026 LoL EWC grand final
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 grand final just concluded, where Dplus absolutely swept Karmine Corp to win it all. The League of Legends Esports World Cup may only have been taking place since 2024, but it has already become a key international event for fans and professional players. With a large prize pool and consecutive matches with little delay, fans have a blast seeing their favorite teams ...
Esports Betting
Dplus vs Karmine Corp: Best betting odds, picks for Esports World Cup 2026 grand final
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Esports World Cup 2026 grand final matchup has been determined, but which team will come out on top between Dplus and Karmine Corp? While there were multiple favorites going into the LoL EWC 2026, few assumed that Dplus and Karmine Corp would make it to the grand final. Both teams have showcased exceptional growth, but only one team can win the top prize. While Dplus is ...
League of Legends
League of Legends EWC 2026 group stage recap: G2 crash out as T1, Gen.G and HLE advance
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends EWC group stage just concluded, and here’s a complete summary of everything that transpired in the two extremely eventful days. The League of Legends Esports World Cup is already making waves for all of the right reasons. While it isn’t nearly as long as the game’s esports fans are usually used to seeing, it’s still packed with awesome matches in which the best teams play each ...
