Minister refuses to take penalty shot against ‘bribed keeper’

ISTANBUL

Sports Minister shoots a penalty during the launch of a campaign to encourage people to do sports. AA photo

Turkish Sports Minister Suat Kılıç refused to take a penalty shot during a show to mark the launch of a new campaign, after a journalist bribed the young goalkeeper to let the minister score on his third attempt.

Two campaign trucks have embarked on a tour across Turkey as part of a project called “Friendship is the Only Winner in Sports,” co-organized by the Sports Ministry and the Amateur Sports Clubs Confederation of Turkey. The trucks are set to visit 42 provinces and are estimated to cover a total of 15,000 kilometers. The tour aims to showcase a large number of trophies and photographs representing the sporting history of the country. Also, miniature basketball and football fields will be temporarily constructed at the locations where the trucks will stop.

In a ceremony held before the trucks set off, Kılıç and journalists exchanged light-hearted words while he took penalties on the football pitch. 

After the goalkeeper saved the first two penalties shot by Kılıç, journalist Yemen Ekşioğlu bribed the goalkeeper to let the next one in. The goalkeeper agreed to this deal and pocketed the money. Kılıç subsequently refused to take his third penalty, having witnessed that bribery was involved in the game. Despite the insistence of the journalists, Kılıç refused to take another penalty. Turkish football has been dogged by allegations of corruption since a bribery scandal was exposed in 201f. Dozens of high-profile names, including Fenerbahçe Chairman Aziz Yıldırım, were convicted on charges of match-fixing.