Anyone who is a German football fan and happens to take a look at comment columns about Turkish football can hardly believe their eyes: there, none other than Markus Gisdol, known in this country full-time as a firefighter, has been chosen as a folk hero. The Markus Gisdol, who, after his stints at Hoffenheim, HSV or Cologne, fans usually call for as a new signing in a mocking and ironic manner after every coaching dismissal in the Bundesliga. In his current Instagram posts, fans pay homage to him either as "Godfather" or "King", while others see him as "similar to Atatürk for us", i.e. on the same level as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkey, who is still revered to this day. The silhouette of Atatürk on a rearing horse also adorns the Samsunspor club emblem - still. Because at the moment it doesn't seem impossible that a mounted Gisdol will replace him in the future. What has happened there?
Since its founding in 1965, the club from the Black Sea city of Samsun has been one of the main players in Turkish club football. For most of its existence, the club was first class, occupying eleventh place in the all-time table. In the mid-noughties, however, he suffered a fate familiar to many traditional clubs: relegation, financial difficulties and internal quarrels. These culminated in the fall into the third division in 2018, combined with a subsequent criminal complaint by the trust administration that had now been set up against the previous club management. Just a traditional club.
One point became 36
Thanks to the subsequent spin-off of the professional department, the entry of a name sponsor and an investor-supported restructuring, promotion back to the Süper Lig was achieved in 2023 after eleven long years - of course not without disputes. But the start was more than bumpy, as was the balance after the first seven games : no win, just a single point, last in the table. And then Markus Gisdol came.
On October 10, 2023, the 54-year-old, without a club since his resignation from Lokomotiv Moscow as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine, will take over as coach at Samsunspor - and the journey begins. With the German coach, life comes back into the club: ten wins from 23 games, one point becomes 36. This means the promoted team is now in twelfth place and has some breathing room again. Gisdol has undoubtedly inspired a new confidence in the players, which captain Osman Çelik describes to the local newspaper
Gazete Gerçek
: "With his arrival, he put the team on the right track, he helped us get back on our feet and I think We should even be above the place in the table where we are now.” Interpersonal relationships have also improved since Gisdol took office, says regular goalkeeper Okan Kocuk to the Turkish daily
Hurriyet
: “The players appreciate him and trust him. There is a family atmosphere in the team at the moment.”
Gisdol himself also feels visibly comfortable, telling
Sport1
in an interview : “It’s unbelievable what’s going on in the city. For me, it's just nice how euphoric and emotional people treat me." Videos on social media show how a group of Samsun fans spontaneously start chanting when they see Gisdol in a shopping area. The spark seems to have ignited, so that in February, contrary to his non-attention-seeking nature and spurred on by his own players, he allowed himself to celebrate in front of the curve after the victory over Antalyaspor. The resulting images are evidence of pure football joy. And proof of the fans' gratitude towards the German coach, on whom their hopes of avoiding further crises rest.
At least of a sporting nature. Because everything else isn't going so smoothly in Samsun. Relics from financially turbulent times are catching up with the club: due to unpaid player salaries, FIFA imposed a transfer ban, which could be postponed, at least for the time being. In the event of an extension of his expiring contract, this would likely pose significant problems for Gisdol in squad planning. Tips on how to deal with this could perhaps be sought from Gisdol's former employer, 1. FC Köln, who are facing the same challenge after signing a Slovenian talent in a way that didn't entirely comply with the rules.
Whether Gisdol stays beyond the summer or not: If he stays in class with Samsunspor, he would probably be assured of the eternal gratitude of a passionate fan community. Just like the recognition that he has so far been denied in Germany. He himself sums it up in an interview with
Sport1
: "My experience abroad is so valuable. That hasn't made me any worse as a coach. I have developed further - also as a person." His cautious forecast: "We'll see what happens in the future." So there is hope for more videos of Markus Gisdol celebrating in front of the Samsun curve.