Reaction-filled statement from the wife of national team captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu: You don't love football, you love the result
Following our elimination from the World Cup—which we qualified for after many years—without scoring a goal, all eyes turned to national football team captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu. After his post-defeat statement also drew backlash, Çalhanoğlu's wife broke her silence and hit back hard at the reactions.
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Sinem Çalhanoğlu expressed her discomfort with her husband being targeted in a statement she shared on her social media account.
Çalhanoğlu lashed out at the criticisms, writing, "This team and its captain fought until the final whistle, but this is football; sometimes it just doesn't happen. It is easy to claim them when winning and look for someone to blame when losing. The captain is the same captain; what has changed is your perspective."
"THE SAME PEOPLE"
Sinem Çalhanoğlu's social media post is as follows:
"He was our captain when we came to the World Cup, and he is the captain today as we are eliminated. The captain you are targeting today is the same captain you were proud of yesterday. The team you are criticizing today and the captain you are targeting are the same people who brought you to the World Cup.
What has changed is neither the captain's struggle nor the character of this team. What has changed is only your perspective.
Blaming today what you applauded yesterday shows that you don't love football, you love the result. This team and its captain fought until the final whistle, but this is football; sometimes it just doesn't happen. It is easy to claim them when winning and look for someone to blame when losing."