Turkey coach Sergen Yalçın explained why Göztepe footballer Arda Okan Kurtulan was not called up following the dissatisfaction expressed by the team’s head coach Stanimir Stoilov. According to Yalçın, the player had been included on the preliminary list for the upcoming two matches, but an administrative procedure prevented his inclusion in the final squad.
“In fact, he was on our list. We were going to call him up for these two matches, but it turned out that, procedurally, he was not eligible to play for the national team. The reason is that he has still not chosen to represent Turkey,” Yalçın said.
Kurtulan has still not completed the procedure to choose to represent the Turkish national team. Yalçın уточни, че Турската футболна федерация се е свързала с футболиста, но е необходимо той да подаде писмена молба, за да започне процедурата.
“These procedures are initiated with documents. These things are not done over the phone,” the coach explained. He added that the staff itself had not known in advance about the administrative obstacle and that there had not been enough time to resolve it before the squad was announced.
According to Yalçın, Kurtulan has confirmed that he will choose to play for Turkey. Therefore, the footballer will remain under the national team coach’s scrutiny and is expected to be included in the extended squad once the necessary formalities have been completed.
Thus, the dispute surrounding the player’s absence from the latest squad has been presented as procedural rather than as a decision related to his sporting qualities. Stoilov had insisted that his player be given an opportunity with the national team, while Yalçın stated that the call-up had been planned but could not be sent because Kurtulan’s choice had not yet been finalized.