Syrian Abdurrahman became Hussein! Chaos ensued when the team he played for with a fake license became champions.

Abdurrahman Cüneyd, who is reported to have played football in Syria, sought refuge in Turkey following the internal turmoil in his country. Settling in Gaziantep, Cüneyd participated in the tryouts of Karşıyaka Gençlik Spor Kulübü, which competes in the Gaziantep 1st Amateur Group B at the end of 2022. Cüneyd, who was liked during the tryouts, was asked for official documents to issue his license. Abdurrahman Cüneyd, who is not a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, submitted the documents using the identity of his cousin Hüseyin Leyla, who resembles him and has obtained Turkish citizenship. In January 2023, Abdurrahman Cüneyd received a player license in the name of Hüseyin Leyla and began to wear the jersey of Karşıyaka Gençlik Spor.

TRANSFER AND CHAMPIONSHIP

Abdurrahman Cüneyd was transferred by Karkamış Barak Spor Kulübü in November 2023. Cüneyd played in 18 official matches here, contributing significantly to his team with 10 goals throughout the season. Karkamış Barak Spor won their last match against their closest rival, Gazikent Spor Kulübü, on June 26, with a score of 2-0, thanks to a goal from Abdurrahman Cüneyd, thus becoming champions with 49 points and advancing to the higher league, the Super Amateur League. Gazikent Spor Kulübü, which finished the league in 2nd place with 48 points, filed an objection, stating that Abdurrahman Cüneyd had obtained a license under a different identity. As a result of the objection, the Turkish Football Federation's Amateur Football Discipline Committee ruled to deduct 3 points from Karkamış Barak Spor and declared them to have lost 3-0, while Abdurrahman Cüneyd was banned from 24 official matches. Following this decision, Karkamış Barak Spor argued that the club that issued the player's license was different and that the player had played throughout the season without facing any warnings or objections, stating that any potential error could not be attributed to the club and that their championship could not be taken away, and they brought the matter to the 'Appeal Committee.'

"I DON'T HAVE A PLAYER LICENSE"

On the other hand, in the investigation initiated by the prosecutor's office regarding the incident, Abdurrahman Cüneyd, who is said to have played football with a fake license, could not be reached. Hüseyin Leyla, who had a license issued in his name and gave a statement to the prosecutor's office, stated that they were relatives of Abdurrahman Cüneyd and said that he had never played in any football match before. Hüseyin Leyla indicated that he knew Abdurrahman Cüneyd as a football player, saying, "Abdurrahman is not a relative I communicate with regularly, but I know he is a football player. I do not have any player license, nor have I ever had one. I did not give my identity or identity information to anyone for this purpose. I do not accept any accusations."

"THE CLUB IS NOT GUILTY, THOSE WHO ISSUED THE LICENSE ARE GUILTY"

Karkamış Barak Spor Club President Metin Ünal stated that the player in question has a valid license and that it is not their responsibility to follow up on this. He noted that they transferred Hüseyin Leyla within the legal framework and that the player had previously played with the same license at a different club, saying: "We legally transferred our 25 players who wear our club's jersey to the Football Federation and the Amateur Sports Clubs Federation. At the beginning of the season, we transferred the player known as Hüseyin Leyla, a name known to the entire community. This player was licensed to play at Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü before us. We watched him while he was in that team, liked him, and transferred him within the legal framework. We paid a fee for the transfer to him, his club, and the Amateur Sports Clubs Federation.

We also paid a fee to the Football Federation to bring this player to our club. He played 18 matches for our team. Neither an observer, nor a club president, nor the opposing team raised any complaints or problems. We became champions by defeating our closest rival, Gazikent Spor Kulübü, in the last match of the league as well. After the championship, everyone went home. If there is any falsification in a player, it should be stopped during the match, and a photo should be taken with the referee to file an objection. Five days after we became champions, it was said that the identity information of our friend known as Hüseyin Leyla did not match. We sent the documents regarding this player to Ankara. If this was known, why was it not mentioned during the 18 matches? It is said that our club is not at fault in this incident, but we are deducted 3 points and relegated from the championship. When the points were deducted, we became second, and the friends we defeated in two matches became champions. We have made the necessary complaints, and investigations will be conducted. We did not issue the identity, nor did we issue the license. Moreover, the player with the photo on the license is playing on the field. We will not let go of anyone responsible for this situation, including the player who issued the license and those who encouraged the issuance of the license, and we will reclaim our championship.

"EVEN HIS WIFE CALLED HIM HÜSEYİN"

Karkamış Barak Spor Captain Ali Kalkan stated that Hüseyin Leyla spent one season with the team and that he never told them that his name was Abdurrahman. Ali Kalkan noted that even his wife called Abdurrahman by the name Hüseyin in front of his teammates, saying, "We really had no chance to understand this. After all, a transfer was made from the other side. He played in 6 matches there. We also transferred this player in accordance with the regulations. We played 18 matches with this friend, and despite there being no referee or rule errors, we were unfairly seen as guilty.

It was almost impossible for us to understand this. Even his wife addressed him as Hüseyin. "Everyone in the sports community knew this person as Hüseyin," he stated.

Karkamış Barak Sports Club Secretary Hüseyin Orkun Tiryaki also stated that, as a result of the lawyers' investigations, there was no example of this in Turkey, saying, "The person we transferred was playing for Karşıyaka Youth Sports Club. We transferred the player within the necessary payments and legal framework. After Gazikent Sports Club filed a complaint against us, the prosecutor's statement led them to find the real Hüseyin Leyla. They see the name of the player as Abdurrahman Cüneyd. This child did not play a single game for us. Despite having no fault, they annulled the reasoned decision and deemed us guilty, deducting 3 points from us. We could not find any example of this in Turkey," he said. The decision from the Football Federation's Arbitration Board will determine who will be crowned champion in the Gaziantep 1st Amateur Group B and promoted to the Super Amateur League.