Hull City owning Turkish media mogul to fly in reality TV contestants for final game of season
Championship football club Hull City are set to have some unusual guests at their final game of the season: contestants from the Turkish version of reality TV show Survivor.
The contestants are due to be flown in especially from the Dominican Republic, where they are currently filming, for the match against Nottingham Forest next week, introduced to fans at half-time – and then sent back the same day, according to Hull Live.
Turkish media tycoon Acun Ilicali, whose company produces the popular show, bought Hull City in January in a deal reported to be worth around £20m.
He has previously used his other TV assets to raise the profile of Hull, who have endured a rollercoaster decade on and off the pitch.
Ilicali, 52, announced his takeover of the club live on the Turkish version of The Voice on New Year’s Eve.
Hull achieved immediate promotion back to the second division of English football last year as winners of League One.
They were in the Premier League as recently as the 2016-17 season but suffered two relegations in the space of four years.
Ilicali bought the club from the Allam family, who twice took Hull into the top flight but also endured a strained relationship with supporters during their 11 years as owners.
The owner of Acun Medya, who began his career as a sports reporter, has also announced plans to fly 250 Hull fans to Turkey next month.