As far as I can see, the government has started preparations for “going back to normal life” which will quite probably be implanted in four stages. May-June will be the preparation period while all preparations will be set before the end of Ramadan. Then, anti-Covid 19 measures imposed on transportation and tourism will be gradually lifted, in September, the government will initiate the third stage, allowing normal course of education again. It is envisaged that Turkey will return completely ‘back to normal’ as of the beginning of next year.
Some of you might ask, “What about the football season?” Well, I know that Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is planning on continuing with the normal schedule of the remaining matches. Here’s what I think about all of this:
I think the best option for completing Süper Lig, which was temporarily halted due to coronavirus outbreak, is to allow the remaining matched be played in sporting facilities with the highest hygiene and social distancing standards. It looks like TFF will continue with its plan to let Süper Lig season resume in designated cities and stadiums. I hope TFF will take into account the recent warnings issued by Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board of Turkey.
As for the other options, they seem rather inconvenient for us. For instance, we can’t register this season just the way it is, I mean unresumed, because Turkish football family hasn’t reached a reasonable level of maturity and good manners yet. When compared to the former option, it might have been more convenient to consider all the matches of the season as if they never took place. However, there is not a single season or match left unresumed in 97-year history of Turkish Football Federation. This is not the way they do things around here.
So, our best option here is to let Süper Lig resume its season in accordance with the advice provided by Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board of Turkey. I must say that I expect TFF to offer us an exciting series of football event that may help us increase our morale and motivation.
“TFF Executive Board should act as a decision-maker only…”
This year’s season might successfully resume if rules and fixtures are set in the fairest way possible. In professionals in the Federation we trust, for carrying out this task in a manner so as not to cause any raised eyebrows. Turkish Football Federation highly experienced and knowledgeable professionals, whose expertise was always sought when creating infrastructure for UEFA tournaments. My former colleagues there are perfectly capable of creating tournament status changes.
The Executive Board of TFF has one important role: decide how the season will resume out and leave the rest to the professionals. Otherwise, critical governance mistakes will be inevitable. Believe me, I speak from experience.
I’m principally against any interference in the structure of the league. I was serving as Secretary General of TFF when the Federation was trying the Play Off method and during that time, I personally witnessed its disadvantages. It’s not right at all to interfere in a properly functioning league just to make it more fun. If you do that, you will lose your sense of justice. Notwithstanding, we are in a force majeure situation, beyond our span of control.
