In the past, says Alper Kayabunar, Türkgücü Munich “always” didn’t play well “when everyone was looking”. This time it was different, very different. Last Friday, the regional football league team deservedly defeated the second team of FC Bayern Munich with 4: 1 (1: 1) goals, it was the first win against a team from Säbener Straße in 32 years. “I told the boys beforehand, today is the day,” said the young coach later. The success against a co-favorite for the championship was not particularly surprising. “We also have players on the bench that would start in any other regional league team,” says Kayabunar. In other words: The club has allowed the squad to cost a lot. And that just to have nothing to do with the descent. At least that’s what the official statements say.
However, there are signs that Türkgücü is very much ready to return to professional football in the near future – despite the fact that bankruptcy proceedings are still ongoing after investor Hasan Kivran withdrew a year and a half ago. Nothing has changed in terms of infrastructure either. Türkgücü continues to train at a district sports facility and gets no perspective from the city to build a youth academy needed for the third division.
Shortly before the start of the season two weeks ago, a rather long-term project was suddenly thrown overboard with the entry of the new Croatian investor Milan Rapaic, 49. The Swabian start-up entrepreneur Nico Held reports that Türkgücü asked him this year whether he wanted to become president. “The club has a lot of potential,” says Held when asked by SZ to justify it. Originally he approached the club. “We had contacted many clubs in Munich. I was looking for employees for the new location in Gräfelfing, and I think it’s good to work with athletes.” The footballers Marco Holz and Michael Zant are now employed by him. After two months, says Held, “I was on the phone every day with the coach and sporting director,” six weeks later I was asked if I wanted to be president.” After much deliberation, he agreed. “I thought to myself: That’s not at all bad in terms of marketing: go a Swabian-Turkish way.”
But suddenly there was radio silence again. Held says he doesn’t know exactly why. From his point of view, it would have made sense to meet Rapaic together with Türkgücü President Taskin Akkay and tackle them together – “I don’t understand why the conversation between the three never took place”. Nothing is known about Rapaic’s exact reasons for joining Türkgücü, and the club has not yet commented on the hero cause. Marco Holz and Michael Zant no longer play for Türkgücü – probably also because they now work for Held.
