The Turkish Football Federation has issued a statement to quell a budding controversy surrounding a video showing coach Vincenzo Montella instructing young talent Arda Güler to train alone.
Turkey is preparing for their decisive Euro 2024 match against the Czech Republic on Wednesday (9 PM) amidst heated circumstances. During a public training session on Sunday, a scene unfolded where Montella appeared to separate 19-year-old Güler from the group, providing him with a bib and directing him to train separately.
Güler, reportedly nursing a groin injury, hesitated briefly and then proceeded to engage in solo exercises after consulting with other staff members. The incident quickly went viral, with Montella facing accusations of disrespect towards the Turkish football prodigy. In response, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) released a statement to mitigate the situation.
“Television cameras filmed our national team A training session tonight (Sunday),” explained the TFF. “A video was created from these images and circulated on social media with commentary. Due to our national footballer Arda Güler’s groin pain before training, a consensus was reached between our technical staff and the player that he should undergo individual training to prepare as effectively as possible for the match against the Czech Republic.”
“The activities shown in the corresponding video were not part of the plan set for Arda Güler, and our national footballer was subsequently directed towards linear work for protective purposes. Our sensible citizens, whose hearts beat for the Turkish national team, do not tolerate such content. We would like to remind everyone not to trust social media.” Güler, who started and scored in the first match against Georgia (3-1), was a substitute in the match against Portugal (a 3-0 defeat) before coming on in the 70th minute. Currently second in Group F, Turkey faces a crucial match against the Czech Republic for a place in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
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