We met with Ahmet Urkmezgil, who wore the Istanbulspor jersey during his youth and is one of the most important figures of both the business world and the sports community. Urkmezgil, who took a break from sports management after seven years as Besiktas General Secretary, talked us about many topics ranging from Besiktas’ championship to his role as a member of Istanbulspor. We had a pleasant interview with Urkmezgil, who stated that he sees being a supporter of Istanbulspor as privilege as being a supporter of Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
Ahmet, can you please talk about yourself a bit?
I was born in 1954. I got into business life at a very young age. I worked at Tercuman Newspaper accounting department for 14 years. I had a good relationship with leading political, economic and sports writers, such as Orhan Ayhan, İslam Cupi, Guven Taner and Atilla Gokce. I served as Besiktas General Secretary for 7 years. I am also the founder of Promat Matbaacilik, which operates in the field of printing.
What would you like to say about the years you played at Istanbulspor?
My football life was very short. Our opportunities were very limited. I joined the Istanbulspor Junior Team when I was 16-17 years old. I played for 2 years, between 1969 – 1970. I took part in the youth team with Dimitri Pantazi, one of the iconic names of Istanbulspor. We met with Ahmet Urkmezgil, who wore the Istanbulspor jersey during his youth and is one of the most important figures of both the business world and the sports community. Urkmezgil, who took a break from sports management after seven years as Besiktas General Secretary, talked us about many topics ranging from Besiktas’ championship to his role as a member of Istanbulspor. We had a pleasant interview with Urkmezgil, who stated that he sees being a supporter of Istanbulspor as privilege as being a supporter of Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. I also played with Captain Serkan, and Faruk, who later went to Galatasaray. We had a good squad and became the Turkish champions. It was a pride to wear the yellow and black jersey. There was also the alluring perception that Istanbul High School brought. After my Istanbulspor career of 2 years, I was transferred to Karagumruk. My first professional football career started in Karagumruk, and after playing for 2 years there I had to quit football due to my education, marriage and limited opportunities.
What would you like to say about the yellow-black community?
I consider being an Istanbulspor fan as privileged as being a Besiktas, Galatasaray or Fenerbahce fan. Of course, every club has its own unique privileges and values. The values that Istanbul High School has added to Istanbulspor created a very different sense of belonging. I have been a manager at Istanbulspor Association for about 3 years and I have seen how strong that sense of belonging was. We worked together with Mustafa Yurttas with a great dedication and determination. During that period, Istanbulspor was promoted from the Amateur League to the Regional Amateur League. Afterwards, I had to quit as a manager. I can say that I tried to enjoy the feeling of being a part of Istanbulspor, which I rarely experienced as a football player, throughout my management career. Mustafa took part in the club with great effort and without any expectations. All these efforts were due to a great love for the Club. Istanbulspor is love and commitment.
Do you participate in the events organized by Istanbulspor when you have time? What does the Istanbulspor community mean to you?
As with other big teams, Istanbulspor had important names in its past. Whenever we find time, we meet with important names such as Cemil Turan, Yılmaz Urul, Alpaslan Eratli and Zorbay Kalkan. Important figures of the community also meet in the organizations of the Istanbulspor Fans Association to fulfill our longing. It is a source of great pride that the legendary names of Turkish football come together for this community.
“I can’t forget the games when we beat Chelsea 2-0 and Barcelona 3-0.”
Let’s come to the championship of Besiktas. We have left behind a challenging year. At the end of a year without spectators due to pandemic, the championship was achieved. What would you like to say?
We have had a very difficult season with a limited squad. Every championship is very valuable, but this year’s championship was more valuable. For the Big 4, the fans are a major force. The fans can even turn the tide of a match. This year, the matches were played without spectators. Sergen Yalcin was very successful. He managed to keep some players who were falling out of shape active and alive. Although he had a squad that lacked the depth of his rivals, he made the most of his players. In addition to winning the League Championship and Turkish Cup, he managed to win young talents such as Ridvan Yılmaz and Ersin Destanoglu.
Besiktas will compete in the Champions League. What would you like to say?
During my term as Secretary General, Besiktas emerged from the Champions League group as the undefeated leader, breaking a record for the country. It is not easy to fight against the teams that have huge budgets. Under the leadership of Sergen, we can achieve the same success this year as well.
Which Besiktas match made you the happiest and most emotional?
Besiktas is so ingrained in my blood that every win is very special to me. However, I can’t forget the games when we beat Chelsea 2-0 and Barcelona 3-0. The match that moved me the most was… In the early 1980s, Besiktas was going through a very difficult period in the league. I was working for Tercuman Newspaper then. I was sitting in the press stand at Inonu Stadium. Besiktas fans suddenly began to support the team fiercely. I was so impressed at that moment that I started crying. Even now, when I tell about this, I still get goosebumps.
This is Besiktas! Every club has such stories, but Besiktas’ stories are completely different. We are a very big club. We had good times with Suleyman Seba. Especially, listening to Besiktas from his mouth was priceless. Besiktas is love and the people’s team.
