Turkish coach Terim can’t take pitch and score himself: President Erdoğan

ANKARA

National football team coach Fatih Terim is seen during a match between Brazil and Turkey on Nov. 12. Terim has been criticized over his team’s stuttering Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. AA Photo

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has defended Turkey’s under-fire national football team coach Fatih Terim after the 4-0 friendly defeat against Brazil on Nov. 12, while also extending his observations to the secret of Brazil’s success and the current state of the sports media.

“I can see that coach Fatih has big dreams. What should he do? Should he take the field and play himself?” Erdoğan said in a meeting with members of the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) in Ankara on Nov. 13.

Terim has been criticized over his team’s stuttering Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, in addition to the heavy defeat at the hands of the five-time world champions ahead of the crucial Euro qualifier against Kazakhstan on Nov. 16 at Istanbul’s Türk Telekom Arena.

Erdoğan is known to have been a keen footballer in his youth and participated in the opening exhibition game of a new Istanbul stadium in July, scoring a hat-trick. In addition to his defense of Terim, he also suggested that training on sand gives Brazilian footballers an advantage.

“They play on beaches in Brazil. The sand strengthens their muscles, but our youths are playing on synthetic turf pitches,” he said, highlighting that more investments are needed to bring national football glory.

In the same meeting, the president also advised sports reporters to not only write about football, but also focus on other neglected sports.