The chairman of Turkish football club Genclerbirligi has vowed to fine any of his players who have beards after claiming some looked like students of an Islamic school.
"I'm 80 and I shave every day," said Ilhan Cavcav, chairman of the Ankara-based club which is currently ninth in the first division.
"Is this an imam school? You are a sportsman. You should be a model for the youth," he said in an interview with the Dogan news agency.
Genclerbirligi will fine any player who takes to the pitch with a beard 25,000 Turkish lira (around 9,000 euros or $11,200).
Cavcav cited as "bad examples", the bearded Croatian coach of Besiktas, Slaven Bilic, and the same club's midfielder Olcay Sahan.
Volkan Demirel, the goalkeeper of reigning Turkish champions Fenerbahce, is another full-bearded player who has sparked Cavcav's ire.
He said he had appealed to Yildirim Demiroren, the Turkish Football Federation chairman, to bring in a nationwide ban on footballers having beards.
"He told me that they could not impose such a restriction because UEFA would not let them do it. I am fed up with this UEFA. I wish we had some other place to play our football," he said.
Turkey's government is often accused by its critics of trying to make Turkish society more Islamic.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was educated in a religious school, sports a thick moustache in common with many Turkish men, but not a beard.
AFP
Mon Nov 17 2014
Turkey's goalkeeper Volkan Demirel (R) and Besiktas' Croatian manager Slaven Bilic -filepic
Fokus Minggu Depan: Perang Iran-Israel: Perkembangan seterusnya?
Ikuti kupasan Pengarah Institut Kecemerlangan Pengajian Baitulmaqdis (IEIJS), UUM, Prof. Madya Dr. Aminurraasyid Yatiban mengenai perkembangan perang Israel-Iran yang ketika ini menggegarkan Asia Barat.
Data sekolah di Singapura diceroboh
Kementerian Pendidikan semalam mengesahkan berlaku pelanggaran data di salah satu vendornya mengakibatkan 'akses tidak dibenarkan' bagi nama dan alamat e-mel ibu bapa dan kakitangan lima sekolah rendah dan 122 sekolah menengah.
87 maut, 82 cedera akibat hujan lebat berterusan di Pakistan
Sekurang-kurangnya 87 orang maut dan 82 yang lain cedera dalam insiden dicetuskan hujan di Pakistan sejak minggu lalu ketika hujan lebat terus melanda beberapa bahagian negara itu, kata Pihak Berkuasa Pengurusan Bencana Kebangsaan (NDMA), semalam.
Pertempuran sengit paksa 200 orang lari ke Thailand
Pertempuran bertambah sengit di sempadan timur Myanmar dengan Thailand hari ini, memaksa kira-kira 200 orang awam melarikan diri ketika pemberontak mengusir tentera junta yang bersembunyi di lintasan sempadan jambatan.
Liga Hoki Selangor TNB-QNET kembali dipertandingkan tahun ini
Selepas lima tahun menyepi, Liga Hoki Selangor TNB-QNET (SHL) akan kembali dianjurkan bermula hari ini hingga 2 Jun depan dalam usaha mencungkil bakat baru sukan hoki di tanah air.
Bio-Home lancar stesen pengisian semula eco, yang pertama seumpamanya
Jenama pembersihan rumah mesra alam dari Lam Soon, Bio-Home, melancarkan stesen pengisian semula eco pertama, menandakan langkah penting komitmen dalam menangani isu sisa plastik.
Anwar beri penghormatan terakhir kepada mendiang Joseph Kurup
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini memberi penghormatan terakhir kepada mendiang Tan Sri Joseph Kurup di Wisma Fook Lu Siew di Kota Kinabalu.
PM Anwar beri penghormatan terakhir kepada mendiang Joseph Kurup
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini memberi penghormatan terakhir kepada mendiang Tan Sri Joseph Kurup di Wisma Fook Lu Siew.
Penghantar makanan, kanak-kanak dua tahun maut nahas jalan raya
Seorang wanita dan anaknya yang berusia dua tahun maut dalam nahas jalan raya membabitkan dua kenderaan di Kilometer 10.2 Jalan Batu Caves menghala ke Selayang, malam Jumaat.
Microsoft uji VASA, watak AI untuk panggilan video bebas kamera web
Microsoft Research memperlihatkan VASA iaitu sistem AI yang boleh menjana wajah manusia yang hiper-realistik berserta dengan emosi pada wajah.