A Life In The Heart Of İstanbulspor: Prof. Dr. Aziz Kaya Alturfan
Member of the board of directors of Istanbulspor, and an orthopedic specialist Prof. Dr. Aziz Kaya Alturfan shared with us his journey from Giresun’s Tirebolu county to Istanbul Men’s High School. Kaya shared many unforgettable memories from Istanbulspor with us, from the meaning of colors in the club’s history to some player surgeries. In this interview, you will find valuable observations on the past, present and future of Istanbulspor, as well as important tips about the club and sports world…
First of all, can we get to know you?
My name is Aziz Kaya Alturfan, and I was born in the Tirebolu county of Giresun. I am a doctor of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Sports and Knee Injuries. I attended primary and secondary school in Tirebolu, and after finishing secondary school I came to Istanbul Men’s High School.
How did your life intersect with Istanbulspor, and what tasks did you complete?
The headquarters of Istanbulspor was at Misirli Inn in Taksim, and the president of the club was Ali Sohtorik. Ali heard about me from the school. I was already very interested in sports, and I was playing volleyball and football. One day, Ali took me to the Board of Directors as General Secretary and I suddenly became the youngest member at the Board, the age difference was like 25.
Can you tell us about the story of Istanbulspor’s colors?
When it was first founded, the color of Istanbulspor was yellow and white. As for the story of turning these colors to yellow and black… The students in two highest grades of Istanbul High School went to the Dardanelles War as volunteers, and as they were very young and had no military experience, they died in a British attack. Before they left, they turned two classrooms into infirmary and painted them yellow and white. Then, when the news of their death reached to the school, the edges of the windows are painted from white to black by the school administration, and the colors of Istanbulspor remained “yellow and black” since then. As far as I have researched and found, there is no club in the world with such a meaningful color story.
Can you share with us a memory about Istanbulspor that you can't forget?
On the last day of the transfer period, we gathered the board of directors to transfer two players, but the Club had no budget or income, and the only remedy was to pay from our own pockets. We needed 40k Turkish liras. Just when we were about to close the meeting, Abdullah Kigili said, “If the President stands surety, I will give the money.” The guys said to me, “Aziz, you do this, and we will find the money and give it back to you”, and I said okay. Abdullah gave 40k Turkish liras, which was a huge money for a player then. Years have passed now but Abdullah still makes jokes about me and others, as I still owe him that 40k Turkish liras.
What would you like to say about the current situation of Istanbulspor?
As I used to say in the past, “Istanbulspor was a club whose homeland was not certain, just like the Palestinians. Because, Istanbulspor’s HQ and facilities were constantly being changed. But now, after one of our compatriots has bought the club, it has a certain location, dormitory, facility and land. So, the club got rid of that “migrant” situation. This Board is doing many things that we have failed to do in the past. Apart from that, the club was sold for the first time during my presidency. I was the one who had approved the sale. Initially everyone was wondering if the Club would be sold, but no one seemed to have the required funds to buy it. We first sold the Club to a “furniture company” in Cyprus. Today, on the other hand, many clubs are passing in to other hands regularly. The main example of this is Paris Saint - Germain and other big European clubs.
Is there a foreign team that you support?
My favorite foreign team is Borussia Dortmund, as its color is also yellow and black. Another reason I support Borussia Dortmund is that it regularly trains young footballers and then sells them. It has already earned 12B euros from the players it has sold so far, which is a huge success. I wish Istanbulspor to be a team like that.
