Application for success

Alaaddin Güven Memish, an active fan of the Turkish team and General Coordinator of the International Union of Businessmen of Ukraine and Turkey (TUID), shared his view on the football debut of DALGAKIRAN.

Question: The TUID-DALGAKIRAN team consists of non-professional players. Tell us, how difficult was the debut in the tournament for Turkish players?

Alaaddin Güven Memish answered: The TUID-DALGAKIRAN team had only 9 players, while our opponents had 14 players in their teams. Therefore, they had the opportunity to replace players during the match. In total, seven people play mini-football on the field, and the field itself is half the size of a regular football field. This makes the game more dynamic. Most of the players on our team are young people under the age of 25. Only one of the members of TUID-DALGAKIRAN is over 30. So our team had enough strength. And our players tried hard. Everyone wanted to excel, because the ACC (American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine) football tournament, despite its amateur status, already has a solid history and recognition among amateur football teams.

How many games did the TUID-DALGAKIRAN team play and what are your impressions of the tournament itself?

There were 10 teams on the green field (ISTIL, KPMG, Ernst & Young, AES Ukraine, TUID-DALGAKIRAN, JTI, Ericsson, Coca-Cola, Puma, Deloitte), divided into two groups. In the semifinals, each team played 5 games. Then the teams played in the playoffs. We played 2 matches there and as a result, the TUID-DALGAKIRAN team took 4th place.

The organization of the games was at a high level, both on the part of the judges and the participants. Most of the teams are well-established and stable groups. They have been playing together for many years and their level is high both in tactical training and in terms of physical condition. The opponents in the capital of Ukraine are worthy. The tournament, organized by the ACC, has been held in Kyiv for many years. Therefore, the organization of the event is at a level that meets the high standards of international public events.

Almost all the games were interesting and persistent. Sometimes heated battles ended with the removal of players with a red card. The fight on the field was very interesting when our rivals from the Ernst & Young team had a player sent off, and they were left with a minority for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, we were unable to repel our numerical advantage in the match. But sport is sport. That’s why we like it. But when our players scored a goal, we were the happiest people in the stands! By the way, our team captain Mustafa Erken scored the most beautiful goal in this tournament.

And how did it go?

Our team does not have one obvious scorer. Everyone is ready to score. We are also doing well with accurate passes on the right. Just after such a pass from the left, Mustafa Erken received the ball. He sent the ball into the goal with a powerful shot from the middle line. The shot was so powerful that the goalkeeper did not even have time to react to the rapidly flying ball. The stands erupted with excitement. Later, many fans told me that this goal was the most beautiful moment of the tournament. I think it’s very significant that the newcomers to the competition were able to make such a strong statement. Next year, our team will show a better result. Kyiv will applaud the Turkish football team. I am sure of it!

Don’t you overestimate the chances of the Ukrainian team TUID-DALGAKIRAN? Maybe your players just didn’t face very strong opponents?

No way! From the very first minutes of the very first match, we felt that no one was going to spare the newcomers. Our first opponent in the draw was the ISTIL team. This is not the first time they have played in ACC football tournaments and have become regulars in the finals. By the way, in the same lineup as this year’s team, ISTIL won the ACC Cup in 2011. In the current tournament, they repeated their last year’s success. So from the very beginning we felt that they were playing in this league for real. Our guys from TUID-DALGAKIRAN had to run a lot to win a place in the final. The penultimate game in the semifinal group with the Ernst & Young team was very interesting. The outcome of the match was unclear until the last minute. The tension did not subside until the final whistle. The result was a 2-2 draw.

Our guys are sometimes inferior in technique, although the TUID-DALGAKIRAN team is well played. Most players have been training with the team for at least 2 years. Our players also clearly lacked a team of substitutes. Mini-football is a very dynamic game, you can’t stand or play a positional game here. Other teams had a substitute on the field every five minutes. This way they constantly received fresh reinforcements. But we did not have such an opportunity. Some teams even have their own permanent coach, despite the fact that they are amateur football teams.

And how are you going to fix this situation?

To train! And then win! Regular effort, training and participation in amateur games is our recipe for success. Our team plans to expand the number of participants. It is said that even among the managers of the DALGAKIRAN head office in Kyiv there are several guys who are good with the ball. Regular meetings on Tuesdays with other teams will be a mandatory component of our preparation for the games. We will probably have to think about a professional coach. Perhaps our guys will invite some familiar players from the Business League to the team. There are very strong players there and our captain Mustafa Erken is friends with many of them. I hope that in a year we will see the TUID-DALGAKIRAN team on the field again and it will make the opponents nervous. After all, only beginners are lucky. Since we were invited to participate in the international tournament of the American Chamber of Commerce, we need to look good. We plan to win this tournament in the future!