Beloved Turkish soccer star sacked after choking reporter
Turkish soccer player Arda Turan may have believed that his close relationship with the Turkish president lent him immunity as he assaulted a journalist this week.
Arda Turan, Turkey’s globally acclaimed midfielder who plays for Barcelona, was among several Turkish celebrities who publicly endorsed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s controversial campaign to become an executive president. The hirsute heartthrob even explained in a video to his 1.7 million Twitter followers the benefits of endowing Erdogan, an aspiring professional soccer player in his early youth, with virtually unlimited power.
Turan may well have believed that his close relationship with the Turkish leader lent him immunity as he hurled obscenities at a veteran journalist earlier this week before grabbing him by the throat. He was wrong. Turan was kicked off the national squad he led a day after playing in a critical World Cup prequalifier against Macedonia. The game ended with no score.
