19.10.2026 16:20
Şenol Güneş responded to a question about the Turkish National Team head coaching position. Stating that a Turkish coach should come to the National Team, Şenol Güneş said, 'For me, both the player and the coach should definitely be Turkish.' Also touching on the Trabzonspor-Beşiktaş derby, Güneş said, 'I look at the Trabzonspor-Beşiktaş match impartially. Since Trabzonspor is at home, I see them as close to winning.'
Şenol Güneş, former head coach of the Turkish National Football Team and Trabzonspor, said, “For me, both the player and the coach should be Turkish. In national teams, we must absolutely be able to produce and find our own coach.” Güneş, who met with young people at the “3rd Turkish World Youth Meeting” held at the Hamamizade İhsan Bey Culture Center, shared his football career and professional experience.
Güneş, who stated that he had worked hard since his childhood years and had to take on the responsibility of his family at the age of 15, recounted that he left Trabzon for the first time after starting football.
Şenol Güneş emphasized that the third-place finish achieved at the 2002 FIFA World Cup during his tenure as head coach of the Turkish National Football Team was not only a sporting success, and noted that it was also of great importance for Turkey's promotion and reputation in the international arena.
“IT IS A MATTER OF PRIDE FOR ME”
Güneş, expressing that in the national team they created a beloved team in addition to sporting success, continued his words as follows:
“We returned to the country as the third-place team in the world. The result on the field is an indicator. It is impossible not to succeed in a work to which everyone contributes. When we returned, we saw pride and love not only in Turkey but also in Central Asia, Africa, and all Muslim countries. We were also appreciated in Europe. At the end of those matches, I attended a FIFA meeting with coaches from around the world. I attended there as a speaker. This is a matter of pride for me. I am proud to have reached the position of a coach who speaks, not one who watches, at the FIFA meeting. A stamp on history.”
“DEFINITELY TURKISH”
Şenol Güneş, to the question about foreign head coaches serving in the Turkish National Football Team, replied: “For me, both the player and the coach should definitely be Turkish. In national teams, we must absolutely be able to produce and find our own coach. As foreign players increased in Turkey, foreign coaches also increased. This is what should be in the national team. We have many young friends in Turkey. All of them are capable of doing it.”