07.01.2026 17:40
Shakhtar Donetsk's head coach Arda Turan denied the claims that his former player Jonjo Shelvey "drank alcohol and smoked cigars in his room" during his time at Eyüpspor. Turan stated that the environment described by Shelvey had nothing to do with reality, and he found the statements baseless and considered them disrespectful.
Shakhtar Donetsk's head coach Arda Turan responded to the statements made by Jonjo Shelvey, who played for his team during his time at Eyüpspor. Turan rejected the claims made by the English footballer that he "smoked a cigar and drank alcohol after training," stating that the environment described by Shelvey had nothing to do with reality.
In his statement, Arda Turan noted that Shelvey's words "exceeded the limits of detection," expressing that he viewed the "baseless statements" as disrespectful to himself, the medical team, and the country.
"EMPHASIS ON RESPECT FOR FAMILY AND DIRECT COMMUNICATION"
Arda Turan stated that his working principles are based on two fundamentals, saying, "My working principles have two foundations: respect for family and direct communication."
Turan mentioned that they have been supportive of Shelvey since the moment he said he had family issues and that he had given him permission without a time limit to see his family.
"WE REALIZED HE WAS TAKING MEDICATION WITHOUT INFORMING THE TEAM DOCTORS"
Arda Turan suggested that Shelvey also caused problems during the professional process, stating, "Despite all our approaches, we understood that the mentioned footballer continued to take medication without informing the team doctors and without seeking advice, based on his unusual behavior in training."
"A PROFESSIONAL FROM MY TEAM WILL BE PRESENT IN PRIVATE MEETINGS"
Responding to Shelvey's claims made through "private conversations," Turan emphasized that there is always a professional from the team present in these discussions, saying, "I include a professional from my team in all private meetings I have with my players. The environment described by the mentioned player for private conversations with me has nothing to do with reality."
WHAT DID SHELVEY SAY?
Jonjo Shelvey used striking expressions for Arda Turan while recounting his days in Turkey, suggesting that Turan "loved whiskey very much, and after training, he would put his feet on the table and smoke a cigar and drink whiskey." Shelvey also referred to Turan as "crazy."