Match-fixing indictment shows spoilt world of sports
As I turn the pages of the indictment on the match-fixing case, I understand how idle, how spoilt, how vulgar and how unique the sports world has become, turning into a special type of mafia over the years. It seems as if these guys, with the comfort of never having been checked, were at ease with living high on the hog. They were so sure there were not going to be held accountable, they acted with impunity.
I’m sure you must also have been reading this and been appalled. What kind of relations are these?
It is not only money, it is cheek and jowl with a mafia order. I was somehow suspicious but I was not expecting this much.
What lies beneath this attitude of extreme self-confidence in the sports world? The stance of “Nobody can touch us” like the one seen in the state bureaucracy and among politicians. Some of them have not touched the mafia because they are in love with the colors of their team, others because they want to maintain their friendships with a famous player or a club president, and still others because of their fear of them. And they have been free to do everything.
Let me give you a simple example.
Do you know that these players who earn millions do not pay any tax? One of the former finance ministers of a Bülent Ecevit government, Zekeriya Temizel, once tried to impose tax on them by saying, “Why should players not pay tax when everybody else is paying?” He was almost hanged. The sports clubs have immense tax debts but they are always postponed.
Why? They all get together and visit the prime minister or relevant ministers. They subsequently ease off immediately. The media, if you ask, is above all in covering up all this ugliness. If anybody dares to write about it, he would be dealt with immediately. His life would come to an end.
When viewing the situation from this angle, I am content with the match-fixing indictment. This cesspool will be cleared. At least they will not be able to act so easily anymore. However, I look now and see that the clubs are dragging their feet. But they will not succeed.
313,000 followers
To be frank, I was not expecting it. It has been just over one year since I started using Twitter and I now see I have 313,000 followers. It cannot get any better and it is thrilling. Just think of it: I have more readers than some newspapers.
Some of them really love me; some of them are maybe following just to criticize; but exactly 313,000 followers value my tweets. And, as the prime minister said, I have reached this figure “without doing hakara, makara [idling].”
Once or twice I have replied to those to whom I should not have reacted to but, in general, my Twitter friends and I maintained a good dialogue. So that means you can reach these figures without losing your temper and swearing.
I cannot compete with stars like Cem Yılmaz and Gülben Ergen, but I wonder if I will reach the figure of 500,000 in my second year.
Many thanks to my friends who like me and trust in me.
Strange decision from the Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court has annulled an article in the law permanently revoking the driving licenses of those caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Regardless of the reason, drinking or doing drugs before driving cannot be tolerated. He is risking my life as well as yours. In such a case, the person reprimanded should not be allowed to drive again.
No offense to the Constitutional Court, but the number of those who think just the opposite are quite high.
