Our ‘butcher of Yeniköy’ cut Italy to pieces

We made the guy regret he had ever arrived in Turkey. Our farsighted mentors and writers of the sports club Beşiktaş (BJK) dragged him through the mud. He was accused of not understanding football; it was said he resembled a greengrocer or a butcher. He was fired in a short time, and they even acted deviously and did not fully compensate him. In the end, poor Beşiktaş - because of its incompetent managers - had to pay tons of money later.

Look at this result. The person who did not understand football made Italy live a “bloody Sunday” in a very real sense. You will have also watched it; if Spain had held on a bit more they could have won the game 6-0. Italy looked as if they did not want the cup. The Italy that crushed Germany was nowhere to be seen. It was as if another group of players had taken to the pitch.

And, what do you say for the manager who let his team play with 10 people through his wrong decisions, while there was still a long time for the game to end? You cannot call it bad luck. It can only be called incompetence.

Among the images at the end of the game that moved me the most was when the Italian team, although they had lost the cup and were in tears, went up to the Spanish team and congratulated them, even applauded them.

My mind went back to the final game, played in Kadıköy, between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, and what happened afterwards: The fight that erupted to prevent Galatasaray from receiving the cup on the pitch, and the administrators who were nowhere to be found.

Whatever, let’s not get confused, let’s focus on Kyiv.

It was an incredibly beautiful event and we watched a final that was very organized and punctual, which you may not expect from Ukrainians. We wouldn’t have been able to watch it anyway if we weren’t Coca Cola’s invitees. The 63,000 capacity stadium was packed and the tickets (around 600 euros) were already sold out with no room left at the hotels. Coca Cola, as it does at each final every two years, saved us. We spent a wonderful three days in a wonderful city in wonderful weather.

Their football, our referee
Well, this is life. Turkey didn’t qualify because we couldn’t play proper football, but we again were able to find something to be proud of.

So what if they have a cup, we have a referee.

We applauded him constantly.

Cüneyt Çakır became a kind of consolation price for us. He was successful in every match he referred and he made history by becoming the fourth official in the final game.

We said this: “Now, as soon as our league starts, those referee experts and former referees will make him regret his success and drag him through the mud…”

How many people are there in Turkey who have achieved success and not been punished for it?

The final as giant entertainment
I have been to many finals up to now; however, to tell the truth, I usually take much greater pleasure when I watch it at home in front of a giant screen. You cannot grasp all the details fully with the naked eye. You cannot properly understand who is committing a foul, who is diving. Only when it is replayed on television can you clearly see it.

However, of course it is a different pleasure to see the match with your naked eye and feel the thrill. The finals alone are an amazing show. The sponsors have a large portion of the stadium and fly in their guests. Entertainment starts one day before the game and lasts until the next morning of the finals.

Even though the Spanish did not have many fans, they made a lot of noise - I’m sure they kept a part of Kyiv sleepless.

Whichever city the finals are held in, that city brightens up. Its streets are filled with curious invitees coming from many different countries. With its entertainment and colors, it is not only football, but it is the people who live and have fun.

I tour around from one final to the next to watch these colors, not just to watch the game.