Turkish min. slams football club on FETO-linked members

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey’s sports minister late Saturday criticized a top football team’s decision not to disown two former players publicly known to have ties with a terror group.

Galatasaray management board voted in its annual meeting Saturday to expel several members of the club due to their alleged or established links with Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). The group is accused of orchestrating last July’s deadly coup attempt.

The members expelled after the vote included jailed former Istanbul Mayor Huseyin Avni Mutlu and former judiciary member Zekeriya Oz, among others.

But Hakan Sukur and Arif Erdem, two former Galatasaray players with international caps, were voted to remain part of the club's membership.

Turkey's Sports and Youth Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic expressed discontent with the decision, saying: "The Galatasaray board need to correct the issue immediately.

"Traitors to our country and our state have no business in our established sports clubs,” the minister said. "The board's voting is inexplicable to the families of our martyrs and veterans," he added.

Both Sukur and Erdem were in the celebrated squad that won the UEFA Cup in 2000.

They are also known to be supporters of FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara says masterminded the July 15 coup attempt.

The series of attacks that night pitted members of Turkish military against law enforcement officers and civilians. The coup resulted in the deaths of 249 people and led to thousands of injuries, leaving an indelible mark on the psyche of the Turkish people.