Eagles name Havutçu as director of football

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Tayfur Havutçu was released from prison pending match-fixing charges. AA photo

Beşiktaş named Tayfur Havutçu as the football team’s general director yesterday, a week after his release from prison as part of a match-fixing investigation.

The assignment was announced by a statement released from the club yesterday.

“Our board has decided Mr. Tayfur Havutçu will act as general director of the football team,” the statement said. “He will act as the sole agent in the football team, along with the youth team and reserve team in terms of managing and technical issues.”

Caretaker coach Carlos Carvalhal will continue coaching the team, according to the statement.
Havutçu was named the caretaker coach in the latter part of last season following the resignation of coach Bernd Schuster but was named the full-time coach following leading the team to the Ziraat Turkish Cup victory in May.

However, he was jailed pending trial as part of the match-fixing case for allegedly telephoning a rival player before the cup final. His assistant Carvalhal was then named the caretaker coach and it was uncertain who would lead the team after Havutçu’s release last week.

Beşiktaş had satisfactory performance under Carvalhal. The team is third in the Spor Toto Super League, five points behind league leader Galatasaray but also won its Europa League group.

Meanwhile, struggling Super League team Orduspor announced it was close to completing a deal with famous coach Hector Cuper. They have agreed on terms with the Argentine coach, Orduspor chairman Nedim Türkmen told the Doğan news agency.

“We have invited Hector Cuper to Turkey to attend our game with Trabzonspor [Dec. 22] and will sign official contract then,” Türkmen said.

Meanwhile, Scottish forward Kris Boyd left Eskişehirspor due to unpaid wages. “Kris has triggered a release clause in his contract,” Boyd’s manager Mark Donaghy told Sky Sports News. “His contract has been terminated because of late payments and legal process is now under way. He will now head back to the U.K.”

Eskişehirspor coach Michael Skibbe is also expected to leave the club later this week when the Super League enters a mid-season break.

He has been offered the vacant Hertha Berlin job and will leave the club, the German media say.