Sacked pundit says he loves Turkey and Erdoğan unconditionally after explicit remarks about Bosnians

ISTANBUL

Turkish pundit Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı said on Nov. 22 that he loves his country and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unconditionally in his comments that came after he was fired over making lewd comments targeting Bosniaks during a live TV sports show.

“I love my country and Erdoğan unconditionally. My personal situation is not important. I am standing by Erdoğan even if they are trying to lynch or kill me,” Kütahyalı tweeted, stating that his words came out as a result of “silliness.”

“Right now, defending Erdoğan means defending our country. What I know best is to fight to death. The great attack is approaching and we will fight till death,” he said, while adding that the country should set the Bosnian resistance as an example. He also claimed that an attack would target Turkey next month.

Kütahytalı’s firing was confirmed on Nov. 21 by his partner Ertem Şener on the show “Derin Football” (Deep Football), broadcast on the station Beyaz TV where Kütahyalı made sexually explicit remarks about Bosnians.

His remarks drew condemnation from Bosnian and Balkan associations, politicians, actors and sportspeople, as well as a storm on social media.

While the show was still being broadcast a group of around 100 Bosnian-origin Istanbul residents protested in front of the Beyaz TV office, chanting against Kütahyalı.

“The city that I have visited most abroad in my life is Sarajevo. Wandering around Bascarsija soothes my soul and I become very happy,” Kütahyalı said in his tweet.

“I will never forgive myself for the situation I am in as a man who admires the Bosnian resistance and the Bosnian people very much,” he added.