The coded telegrams sent during the football match in Akşehir, where the plans for the Great Offensive were formulated, attracted attention in the "Shoot and Goal: Turkish Football History Exhibition," which debuted at the Presidential Complex.
The exhibition, which was opened yesterday with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, features hundreds of works, including the first written record of football in the Ottoman archives, that is, a report dated November 23, 1890, which states that the necessary investigation will be conducted regarding the ball game played by the British youth in Kadıköy Kuşdili Çayırı, as well as the trophy won by the world champion National Amputee Football Team on October 10.
The “Akşehir Documents" about the football match Mustafa Kemal Atatürk staged with army commanders during the Turkish War of Independence to plan the Great Offensive are one of the most intriguing aspects of the exhibition. The records of the encrypted telegrams sent during the 1922 football match in Akşehir, which Mustafa Kemal and the army commanders watched, sparked visitors' attention.
Among the displays are photographs and newspaper clippings of President Erdoğan playing football for the IETT Football Team and Erok Spor, as well as the football equipment he wore in friendly matches during his tenure as a politician.
The General Harington Cup, which Fenerbahçe won by defeating the occupation forces team in a tournament organised in his own honour by General Charles Harington, the commander of the United Kingdom's occupation forces, as he left Istanbul in 1923, is one of the exhibition's remarkable pieces.
The exhibition features memorabilia from the playing and coaching careers of Mustafa Denizli, Fatih Terim and Şenol Güneş, as well as the UEFA Cup and Super Cup won by Galatasaray in 2000, the trophy won by the Türkiye national football team which placed third in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and a signed photo of Pelé taken with Fenerbahçe President Faruk Ilgaz after the Fenerbahçe-Santos match played in Istanbul on May 3, 1972
Among the items on display are all-time legendary Beşiktaş coach and "Baba" ("Father") Hakkı Yeten's 1947 National Education Award of the Directorate General of Physical Training and the Prime Minister’s Cup, as well as the jersey worn by former national football player Rıdvan Dilmen when he broke Fenerbahçe's historical record of 103 goals in the 1988-1989 season. Tanju Çolak's "European Bronze Shoe" award for scoring 33 goals during the 1985-1986 season is also on exhibit, as is his golden shoe awarded by "France Football" magazine for scoring 39 goals during the 1987-1988 season.
The exhibit also includes former national goalie Rüştü Reçber's jersey, shorts, and cleats, which he wore in a friendly match for the Türkiye national football team on June 5, 2004; Arda Turan's jersey, which he wore when Barcelona defeated Alavés 3-1; and National Amputee Team Coach Osman Çakmak's jersey, shorts, cleats, and crutches.
The exhibition will remain open to visitors at the Presidential Complex Exhibition Hall until May 3.
