Trabzonspor's legendary figure Ozkan Sumer dies at 80

By Selcuk Kilic

TRABZON, Turkey (AA) - Trabzonspor's legendary figure Ozkan Sumer, who dedicated his life to the Turkish football, died of cancer on Tuesday at the age of 80.

Having left an indelible mark on Trabzonspor, Sumer was the only person in the history of club who served as a player, coach and president.

He made appearances for Trabzonspor from 1967 to 1970 during his playing career.

Trabzonspor won two Turkish league titles (1979 and 1981) and a Presidential Cup (1979) under the helm of manager Sumer.

He also took charge of the Turkish national team, Galatasaray, Denizlispor, Samsunspor, and Konya Mobellaspor.

Ozkan lifted the Presidential Cup with Galatasaray in 1982.

- Sumer runs Trabzonspor from 2000 to 2003

Sumer became Trabzonspor’s president from 2000 to 2003. The club won the Turkish Cup in 2003 under his presidency.

He also served as a youth academy coordinator and helped bring forward new talents for the senior team.

Besides Trabzonspor, Super Lig title contenders Galatasaray, Besiktas, and Fenerbahce shared condolence messages over the death of Sumer.

Turkish clubs will hold a minute of silence ahead of the league matches to pay tribute to Sumer.

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Ankara