Connect with us

Sports

Now I drive for Uber and sell books – Turkey football legend Hakan Sukur cries out after exile from Turkey

Published

Hakan Sukur



Turkey football legend, Hakan Sukur, who played as a striker for Inter Milan, Torino, Blackburn, and Galatasaray has revealed he is now driving for Uber in the United States after he was exiled from Turkey.

The 48-year-old won a total of 14 major titles, netted 383 goals throughout his club career as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002.

His life, however, took a dramatic turn after retirement, as he entered politics and was elected as an Istanbul MP for the Justice and Development Party.

MORE READING!  EFCC arraigns ex-Kogi gov, Yahaya Bello on money laundering charges

He later resigned from the party in December 2013, to serve as an independent after he had a bitter falling out with President of Turkey Recep Erdogan.

Sukur is wanted for arrest in Turkey since August 2016 for being a member of the Gülen movement and lives in exile in the United States.

Speaking in a recent interview with German publication Welt am Sonntag, Sukur revealed things became hard for him after President Erdogan accused him of participating in a failed coup.

“I have nothing left, Erdogan took everything: my right to liberty, freedom of expression and right to work,” said Sukur.

“Nobody seems able to explain what my role in this coup was supposed to be. I never did anything illegal, I am not a traitor or a terrorist.

“I might be an enemy [of] this government, but not the state or the Turkish nation. I love my country. After the split with Erdogan, I started to receive threats. My wife’s shop was attacked, my children were harassed, my father put in prison and all my assets confiscated.

“So I moved to the United States, initially running a cafe in California, but strange people kept coming into the bar. Now I drive for Uber and I sell books.”

Advertisement
Comments



Trending