THE MOST NAIVE GENTLEMAN OF THE STANDS: KARINCAEZMEZ

Born in 1919, Karıncaezmez Sevki, whose real name was Sevki Guney, was the most naive and gentlemanly fan in Turkish football history, far removed from any hooliganism. Nicknamed "Karıncaezmez" (One who wouldn't even hurt an ant) by the police chief of the time, Orhan Eyuboglu, because he had never had an accident in his life, Sevki resigned from his job as a bus driver after being warned for decorating his buses with flowers and started driving a taxi. He was virtually the most polite driver in Istanbul with his 1948 model Opel Kapitan taxi, which was beige on the outside and entirely yellow and red on the inside. Summarized by the lines "Loves flowers, wears perfume, dislikes rushing, doesn't exceed thirty kilometers," Sevki would climb on top of his car and salute whenever he arrived in front of Galatasaray High School, even at the cost of blocking the traffic on Istiklal Avenue. Other drivers never got angry; they would keep rhythm with their horns for this legend. His love for Galatasaray was so deep that his wife divorced him because of this passion, and he even went to court with a flower in his lapel. His clothing style was a manifestation of belonging in itself; every detail, from his shoelaces to the bone buttons of his golf trousers, was yellow and red. In his jacket's breast pocket, he carried a thin, long vase with real water and fresh yellow and red carnations. He never swore in the stands; he just stood like a statue between two posts and silently waved his flag. He had a great love for Metin Oktay and Turgay Seren, who adorned the walls of his room, and prayed for them every morning. When Metin Oktay passed away, he kept his memory alive by renewing the flowers in his vase every day. Unfortunately, this great love was overshadowed by the ugliness of stadium hooligans. Pushed from the stands in one match for allegedly "bringing bad luck," Sevki broke his arm, but even on days he wasn't allowed in the stadium, he broke his cast to stand outside and salute his team. Later, his arm, broken again by the attacks of the same people, failed to heal and had to be amputated by doctors. Sevki, who withdrew into silence, was remembered years later with a photograph taken with Gheorghe Hagi in hospital corridors. When visited by Alparslan Dikmen and gifted a jersey, he was loyal enough to say, "I wish you had printed Turgay on it." Passing away at the age of 81 on March 23, 2000, Karıncaezmez Sevki could not see Galatasaray's UEFA Cup victory, but with his elegance, he left a massive, unforgettable legacy to Turkish football history.

IMAGE: KARINCAEZMEZ ŞEVKİ