Şenol Güneş: We Should Develop Our Own Coaches for the National Team

Former Turkey national football team coach Şenol Güneş said the third-place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup was not only a sporting achievement. According to Güneş, the result was also highly significant for Turkey's promotion and reputation internationally.

Recounting that he worked hard from childhood and had to take responsibility for his family at 15, Güneş also said that after starting football he left Trabzon for the first time. He added that, besides sporting success, they built a well-liked team in the national side.

Speaker at a FIFA meeting

Güneş said that on returning home they were met with affection and pride not only in Turkey but also in Central Asia, Africa and Muslim countries, and that they earned admiration in Europe too. He said he took part as a speaker in a FIFA meeting of coaches from around the world after the tournament, and described it as a source of pride.

FIFA toplantısında izleyen değil, konuşan hoca konumuna gelmekten dolayı gurur duyuyorum.

Şenol Güneş ("I am proud to be a coach who spoke at the FIFA meeting rather than one who only listened.")

The foreign coach debate

Asked about foreign coaches managing the national team, Güneş said that as the number of foreign players in Turkey grew, the number of foreign coaches grew too. He said the country has many young coaches and that all of them are capable of doing the job.

Oyuncu da antrenör de benim için Türk olsun. Milli takımlarda kesinlikle antrenörümüzü kendimiz üretebilmeliyiz ve bulmalıyız.

Şenol Güneş ("For me, both players and coaches should be Turkish. In national teams we must absolutely produce and find our own coaches.")