The contradiction between football and politics in Turkey

I have been following the European Championship since day one.

I haven't watched such an exciting match in a long time. With goalkeeper Mert's historic save in the final seconds, the door to the quarter-finals opened for Turkey. 

We haven't experienced such happiness since 2008. As a nation, we needed this victory, which came after 16 years, so much…

The joy of defeating a strong team like Austria, one of the dark horses of the tournament, was something else entirely. 

I am not very involved with football. But I have a few words to say after this victory; 

After our poor performance in the Portugal match, we criticized the new head coach Montella mercilessly.

We made him a target because he made the team play timidly and didn't start Arda in the first 11. Montella was dragged through the mud regarding what happened between Arda Güler and the Italian coach during the national team training session that was leaked to social media.

Yet, hadn't Montella been brought in with high hopes after Stefan Kuntz and led the team out of the qualifying groups as the leader?

As a nation, we have no tolerance for mistakes in football. 

In the Super Lig, where 19 teams compete, 26 coaches could not see the end of the football season this year.

I did some research. In the 2020-2021 season, 40 coaches were changed! The 2023-24 season was the second year with the most coaching changes after the 2020-21 season!

While clubs wanting to satisfy their fans in the football arena competed with each other, those who were successful stayed, and those who were unsuccessful were changed immediately without being given a chance. 

For example, Fenerbahçe head coach İsmail Kartal was fired even though he had achieved the highest points in Fenerbahçe history (99 points). He was replaced by the world-famous head coach Jose Mourinho.

While we have no tolerance for failure in football and demand change immediately, why do we not demand the same change for failure in politics? 

IS POLITICS NOT AS SERIOUS AS FOOTBALL?

Why don't we unite for correct politics with the same determination?

While we scream at the top of our lungs, roar on social media, and insist on change when the football clubs we support make mistakes that lead to defeat, why can we not, as a nation, show the door to the wrong politics and unsuccessful politicians that affect our entire lives, our future, and the future of our children?

Is politics not as serious a matter as football? 

While teams even change their presidents when necessary to make their fans happy, why can't political parties show the same reflex? Why can't they be removed from those seats? Those who mention change within the party are declared traitors. 

Will we wait until we are in our graves to see change in politics?

When will those who are unsuccessful learn to leave? 

FOOTBALL IS THE POOR MAN'S BREAD!

As this article was being written, it was announced that millions of retirees whose base pension is 8 thousand liras and below will receive a "zero" raise, and that there will be no raise for minimum wage earners in July. 

While the hunger threshold in Turkey was announced as 18 thousand 978 liras and 77 kuruş, the poverty threshold approached 61 thousand 820 liras. 

Never mind; football is the poor man's bread! We saw the quarter-finals, so let's continue to make do with bread and onions…

Author's note: Retirees cannot even afford to eat bread and onions every day with their pensions. 

Good luck in the quarter-finals, Turkey…