Shortly after beating FC Groningen 3-1, Fortuna Sittard was shaken by the news that the captain and the club’s top scorer, Burak Yılmaz, left the team immediately. The Turkish forward thanked the fans via social media for “having a good time at the club”.
And meanwhile the club doesn’t know anything. “It was surprising for us as well,” says Sjoerd Ars, Technical Director of NOS Langs de Lijn. “We’ll hear more tomorrow.”
The 37-year-old Yilmaz is the big star of the team. His arrival was a big gimmick but still sometimes in Limburg they have a hard time dealing with the whims of such a superstar.
Yilmaz would have done a lot with the early dismissal of coach Sjors Ultee, for example. It can never be changed, which can get in the way of the ability. And while the victory over Groningen provides some relief for the top eleven, it’s not always easy from a sporting standpoint.
booed by the Fortuna crowd
“After the match I found him in a good mood because we took an important step towards being assertive,” said Ars, trying to explain Turk’s mood. This was a personal post from Burak. I don’t know exactly what’s behind it. Maybe it was a mistranslation.”
The truth is that Yılmaz was booed by some of the audience.
Watch the summary of Fortuna Sittard-FC Groningen, possibly the last game of Burak Yılmaz, here:
Yılmaz has an ongoing contract with Sittard. He signed at least five seasons contracts last summer and the first two will still remain an active football player.
“It’s not easy from a legal standpoint, either,” says Ars. “But I don’t think things will get to that point.”
european football
Ars says his club is doing well and could even reach the play-offs of European football with a little luck, but that didn’t put him to sleep any more. But of course, Yılmaz distracts people.
“He can communicate in English quite normally,” says Ars, “but when you speak and write something, you can express it a little differently. And then it can be interpreted in a completely different way.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
