The federation further increased the chaos

Yesterday was very important. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) was finally going to deliver its match-fixing verdict. The head of the TFF, Yıldırım Demirören, was determined. He was going to pick up the pieces. The verdict was announced. You can read it in the news pages. If you can understand it, I will applaud you. 

Surely, the TFF has never taken any other decision as dangerous as this one, which could result in Turkish football being expelled from the international arena. 

It is total chaos. The biggest danger right now is that UEFA and FIFA will act upon this decision. 

The TFF, with this verdict, not only ignores international requirements, but also almost kids with UEFA and FIFA. It even goes further and sends 15 clubs including Galatasaray to the disciplinary committee. As you can understand, it is being the “oriental fox.” It confirms that rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. 

The “Demirören Federation,” with this stance of theirs, either genuinely does not know what it is doing, or it knows and is trying to protect itself. 

Apparently Feb. 28 is to be expanded 

I am among those who believe that it would be highly inconvenient if the investigation of the Feb. 28 case is allowed to develop branches like the Ergenekon case. For example, I wrote that it is against freedom of expression to try members of the media, questioning “How can you have this headline? How can you write this?” and that this case should not turn into a “witch hunt.” 

Now, I look around and see that the general atmosphere is just the opposite and blows from the direction of expanding the investigation.

Moreover, not only those who committed crimes but also the private sector that recorded major profits from foreign currency exchange and interests during the economic crisis that erupted after Feb. 28 will also be involved.

The prime minister’s MÜSİAD speech was openly full of messages to the prosecutors on this topic. He said he was making a criminal complaint. I don’t think the prosecutors will be able to say, “Those words are the prime minister’s personal views: they are not binding for us.” 

I know it would be unfair to blame only the military for Feb. 28 and all other coups before that and to prosecute them only. I also am upset about the fact those civilian segments who provoked the military and aided them will continue as if nothing happened. 

However, there is no end to this. 

The Ergenekon cases have been merged and we have an enormous giant before us with hundreds of defendants, millions of pages and additional evidence. The difficulty of finding the truth is apparent among such complicated, hanging-by-a-thread and non-concrete evidence. 

Now, we are about to create a new giant. The criminals should indeed be punished. Nobody can oppose that. However, when we have the option of simplifying things, why do we opt for an impasse? 

Fortunately we have Orhan Pamuk 

What kind of a rough society are we? We waste the values we have. Why? Because of our habit of dragging through the mud those who think differently. 

We tried to make Orhan Pamuk escape. He resisted; he did not leave us. Fazıl Say is resisting. We have had this habit in the past also. 

Last Friday, Orhan Pamuk celebrated the opening of his “Museum of Innocence” in Çukurcuma, Istanbul.

This time he was not alone: Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay was there. Many columnists praised him the next day. It was Hasan Cemal who said “Fortunately we have you, Orhan Pamuk…”