A Milli Futbol Takımı head coach Sergen Yalçın addressed team selection procedures and critical remarks from Göztepe manager Stanimir Stoilov during a press conference at Gürsel Aksel Stadium on Wednesday.
Yalçın dismissed comments made by Göztepe manager Stoilov regarding the exclusion of player Arda Okan Kurtulan from the national squad. Stoilov had previously questioned the official explanation provided for the player’s absence, stating, “I don’t really believe in this nonsense about a document not arriving on time,” according to Sözcü.
Yalçın responded to these claims by distancing the national team from the Göztepe coach’s perspective. “The statement made by the coach regarding the Arda situation does not concern me. I should say that first. It doesn’t really involve us; he is making a statement about his own club,” Yalçın told Fotomaç.
The technical staff clarified that the omission of Kurtulan was due to formal regulatory requirements rather than administrative oversight. Yalçın explained that the player had not yet completed the necessary procedures to represent the Turkish National Team, noting that such matters require formal documentation rather than verbal agreements or telephone communication, as cited by Hürriyet.
“The player cannot play due to procedural reasons. He has not yet chosen the Turkish National Team. We intended to include him in the squad for this camp, but because the process requires a formal petition and subsequent processing, it could not be completed within this short period,” Yalçın said to Sözcü.
The national team enters the upcoming match seeking its first victory in the group. “Galibiyete (the victory) is not something only I need; Turkey needs it. Our people, our players, and our technical team—we all need this win,” he told İhlas Haber Ajansı.
Regarding squad fitness, Yalçın said that Zeki Çelik is returning from injury and may be utilized for 20 to 30 minutes. He also addressed the exclusion of İrfan Can Kahveci, noting that while the player may be disappointed, the coaching staff must manage a limited squad size of 26 to 27 players to ensure those called up receive meaningful playing time.
The A Milli Futbol Takımı will face Belgium at Gürsel Aksel Stadium on Thursday at 20:00 local time.
Enes Ünal expressed his satisfaction with returning to the national team camp and discussed his previous communication with the coaching staff. “Today here, I am happy to be here. Representing my country, being a part of the national team is always a source of pride for me,” Ünal said.
Ünal also addressed his past relationship with former national team management. “And we had a pretty good communication with our coach Montella. That communication was never broken off. He made such a choice that day. And I respect that. He wanted to play in a much different way. And maybe he didn’t see me fully ready while coming out of those injuries. I respect that too. I’m happy to be here today,” Ünal said.
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