“This video is already three years old”
Halit Kurt, the coach of the youth soccer team, with his wards was made aware of the brutal treatment through social networks. On Friday, a video appeared in Twitter from the Keyseri Meysuspor locker room, which captures the coach’s aggressive behavior. He not only shouted at the players, but also gave each of them a strong slap in the face. At the same time, the young men themselves did not react to the blows of a specialist, they only looked silently at the floor, some, grimacing, rubbed their bruised cheeks.
Kurt's angry reaction was triggered by a poor team play. After the first half, "Casey Meysuspor" lost - 1: 3. After the break, his wards scored four unanswered goals and pulled out a strong-willed victory - 5: 3. According to the trainer himself, the video was shot three years ago, but got into the network only now.
“All players are like children to me, although I can sometimes beat them. This video is already three years old, then we lost 1: 3 after the first half. Some stranger filmed what happened on the camera, and now the video has scattered across the network, ”quoted Fanatik as saying.
❌ Kayseri Meysuspor teknik direktörü Halit Kurt, soyunma odasında genç futbolcuları tokatlıyor!
Türkiye'de futbol?
pic.twitter.com/TGIa8P7LOv
“What happens in the locker room should not be made public”
After the publication of the video, a flurry of criticism fell on Kurt. The video became viral in Turkey; various media outlets of the country drew attention to it. In the comments to the video, many called on the coach to leave the profession, and also accused him of unacceptable behavior in relation to the pupils. However, Kurt himself sees nothing wrong with his methods. According to him, many well-known experts practiced this.
“We all know the example of Alex Ferguson and David Beckham. They say Fatih Terim also does this from time to time. I love my players. We have a relationship like between father and children, no acting. As for the video, what is happening in the locker room should not be made public, like the actions of a couple in the bedroom. Such things can happen when a team has a goal to win a match or win a trophy. As I said, many coaches allow themselves to do this, but now we have made scapegoats, ”Kurt Hurriyet quotes.
At the same time, according to the coach, the parents of young football players, learning about the existence of the scandalous video, took his side. The specialist also promised to "deal" with those who allowed themselves to insult him after what happened.
“Some of the dissatisfied wrote curses on my deceased mother. I have already figured them out and will start legal proceedings with them, ”Kurt added.
The specialist also admitted that he was contacted for clarification from the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). Kurt noted that no complaints were lodged against him. However, TFF later announced the start of an investigation into what happened.
“The necessary disciplinary and legal procedures were launched against Halit Kurt, who is the technical officer of Casey Meysuspor, as soon as the video appeared on the network,” reads the statement on the official website of TFF.
One way or another, now Kurt can not get off only with censure from the public. Meanwhile, according to Turkish media, the coach has been working with amateur teams for more than ten years and has been repeatedly seen in aggressive behavior towards football players and referees.
The specialist has a UEFA category B coaching license. According to Kurt himself, he has been training for 25 years, and his methods have never raised any questions.
Grandiose scandals with children's trainers
Kurt is far from the first children's coach to fall into a serious scandal. So, in August, ex-coach of the Wales athletics team Phil Bunning was convicted. The expert was found guilty of harassment of minors. Bunning admitted that he incited three 16-year-old girls and one 11-year-old in the late 70s and early 80s to be close to each other and was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
A much more serious scandal erupted in American swimming. According to local media reports, the leadership of the corresponding sports federation did not answer the athletes' complaints that they were persuaded to have sexual relations with coaches in order to get into one or another competition. And it was a question of seduction of minors.
Former US gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced by the court to 175 years in prison for harassment, including underage athletes. So, the world champion Maggie Nichols, who was harassed by a doctor at the age of 15, spoke about this publicly.
“At first I trusted him, but then he began to touch me in places that I did not think about. He had no gloves; he did not tell me what he was doing. There was no one else in the room, and I did not interfere with what he was doing. Because adults said that he is the best doctor and will help relieve my pain, ”said the athlete.