Turkish Football’s Bonkers Kidnapping Caper: Hasan Vezir’s Rivalry Rollercoaster
In the wild world of Turkish football, where loyalty to clubs runs deep and rivalries are intense, there is a tale that still raises eyebrows and sets tongues wagging among fans. It’s a story about Hasan Vezir, a name that echoes through the corridors of both Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. This is the story of a footballer who walked the thin line between hero and traitor.
Our tale begins with Hasan’s arrival at Fenerbahçe on a loan spell from Caykur Rize. Little did anyone know that he was about to write his name in the annals of football history. In the record-breaking 1988-89 season where Fenerbahçe netted an astounding 103 goals, Hasan Vezir contributed 19 of those. But amidst all those goals, there’s one match that etched him into the memory of Fenerbahçe fans forever.
It was May 3, 1989, in the Turkish Cup quarter-finals, and Fenerbahçe found themselves 3-0 down against their arch-rivals, Galatasaray, at Ali Sami Yen. But the second half would script an unprecedented twist in the history of football derbies as Fenerbahçe clawed their way back to a 4-3 victory. Hasan Vezir, who scored three of those crucial goals, became the hero of the hour for Fenerbahçe. However, the line between “hero” and “traitor” in football is as thin as a paper.
After Fenerbahçe’s triumph, transfer talks began. Despite wearing the Fenerbahçe colors, Hasan was, at heart, a player from Rizespor. When Galatasaray came knocking with their interest, Hasan, ever the diplomat, replied, “I need to talk to my club first.” In the previous season, he earned 35 million lira, but Fenerbahçe dangled a tempting offer of 550 million lira per year. While Fenerbahçe offered 850 million to other stars like Rıdvan, Oğuz, and Aykut, Hasan Vezir had his own price – 750 million lira. Galatasaray’s bid of 1 billion lira was also on the table.
The rendezvous point was set at Küçükyalı. Hasan Vezir arrived with his brother, uncertain of his destiny. Ergun Gürsoy and Yurdaşen Karahasan, two key figures in Galatasaray’s plot, offered to drop his brother home and turned the ignition. As they left Istanbul, they whispered the truth to Hasan – “We’re taking you, there’s no turning back.”
It was a long night, and Hasan described it as such: “The longest night of my life. No one in my family or among my close ones knew where I was. Fenerbahçe’s officials were also planning to take me. They said, ‘If we lose him, it’ll damage our reputation.’ We arrived in Bursa through İzmit, and eventually, I signed the contract in a textile factory owned by Özhan Canaydın, a prominent figure at Galatasaray.”
While Hasan’s life took an unexpected turn, he had yet to face the most brutal reality – he was neither a Galatasaray nor a Fenerbahçe player anymore. It was as if he was stuck in limbo.
The once “hero” Hasan now wore the badge of a “traitor” in the eyes of Fenerbahçe fans. The taunting began at his Galatasaray wedding on Galatasaray Island, with Fenerbahçe supporters circling the island in rented boats, unleashing a barrage of insults and chants. The animosity had grown to a point where none of his former Fenerbahçe teammates attended the wedding, not even Hakan Tecimer, who hailed from Rize.
The nightmare reached its climax after Hasan’s first match against Fenerbahçe in a Galatasaray jersey. He scored the decisive goal in the last minute, securing a 1-0 victory for Galatasaray against their eternal rivals. That evening, Hasan went out to dinner with his wife, only to return home to find the apartment caretaker’s wife in tears. About twenty Fenerbahçe fans had visited the complex, inquiring about Hasan’s whereabouts. When the doorman, Irfan, told them Hasan wasn’t at home, they subjected him to violence and even stabbed him. They left Irfan, who was eventually found and saved, lying inside a trash container. This brutal act of retaliation shook Hasan and served as a harsh reminder of the deeply entrenched passions in Turkish football.
Hasan’s life was a whirlwind of emotions. His move from Fenerbahçe to Galatasaray had repercussions that extended far beyond the pitch. The division between the two sets of fans was marked by deep-rooted animosity, with no room for middle ground.
The hero of the famous 1989 Turkish Cup comeback, who became a “traitor” in the eyes of Fenerbahçe supporters, was now in the unenviable position of being a symbol of the fierce rivalry between two of Turkey’s biggest clubs. Hasan Vezir’s journey through Turkish football is a remarkable tale of dedication, drama, and the often blurred lines between loyalty and ambition.
In this complex and passionate world of Turkish football, Hasan Vezir’s name still stirs a cocktail of emotions, and his story continues to serve as a vivid reminder that the beautiful game can sometimes transcend the boundaries of a sport and become a reflection of the fervent identities and allegiances that define a nation’s football culture.
