Footballer showing up in Maldives after sick call on Galatasaray’s transfer list
ISTANBUL
Turkish Super League’s defending champion Galatasaray, one of Istanbul’s Big 3 clubs, has placed defender Serdar Aziz on the transfer list after his wife’s social media post stirred outcry among football fans.
The decision for the defender came after Aziz's wife, Tuğçe Aziz, revealed that they were both on holiday in Maldives despite calling in sick and missing a match with stomachache.
Galatasaray won the game against Sivasspor on Dec. 23, 2018 at home in Istanbul.
After the outcry from Galatasaray fans on social media became louder, Serdar Aziz defended himself saying that he could not play because of suffering from food poisoning and he continued with his pre-planned family trip.
“Despite a streak of bad luck in the first half, I believe that we put up a good struggle,” he said on his Instagram account on Dec. 24, 2018.
Galatasaray also put Eren Derdiyok on the transfer list.
"l like Serdar and Eren but, we have different perspectives in working together. That's why they will not be in our squad during the rest of the season. l hope they would be successful in their rest of the career," Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim said in a video in social media on Jan. 3.
Both players joined "the Lions" before the 2016-2017 season and played in the club for 2,5 years.
