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Sports News of Tuesday, 14 January 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Turkey football legend, Hakan Sukur, turns Uber driver, book seller

Hakan Sukur Hakan Sukur

Life after an illustrious football career has not been all rosy for former Turkey star, Hakan Sukur, who reveals that he now drives Uber and sells books to make a living for himself.

The former Inter Milan, Torino, Blackburn, and Galatasaray striker became a Turkey exile following a fall out with Turkey's President, Recep Erdogan, after serving in politically as an Istanbul MP for the Justice and Development Party.

The 48-year-old won a total of 14 major titles, netted 383 goals throughout his club career as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002.

WHY DID HE FALL-OUT WITH ERDOGAN?

He later resigned from the party in December 2013, to serve as an independent after he had a bitter falling out with President Erdogan.

Sukur is wanted for arrest in Turkey since August 2016 for being a member of the Gülen movement and lives in exile in the United States.

SUKUR SPEAKS UP ON LIFE AS AN EXILE

Speaking in a recent interview with German publication Welt Am Sonntag, Sukur revealed things became hard for him after President Erdogan accused him of participating in a failed coup.

“I have nothing left, Erdogan took everything: my right to liberty, freedom of expression and right to work,” said Sukur.

“Nobody seems able to explain what my role in this coup was supposed to be. I never did anything illegal, I am not a traitor or a terrorist. “I might be an enemy [of] this government, but not the state or the Turkish nation. I love my country. After the split with Erdogan, I started to receive threats. My wife’s shop was attacked, my children were harassed, my father put in prison and all my assets confiscated.

“So I moved to the United States, initially running a cafe in California, but strange people kept coming into the bar. Now I drive for Uber and I sell books.”