The problem between Fenerbahçe fans and Ergin Ataman
Ergin Ataman. We are all witnessed to an interesting event while Cska was defeating Efes during the final game of Euroleague. Ergin Ataman turned to Fenerbahçe fans and used a very bad language. But fans was only chanting “Take a timeout Ergin Ataman” and “Do doping Ergin Ataman”. It was a rare thing to see on basketball courts. Let’s take a look at the reasons for this incident.
The problem goes beyond the past. It has started in 2008/2009 season Turkish Final. Fenerbahce defeated Efes twice with a dominant basketball. With the beginning of the third match, everything changed. From this game to last encounter (game 6), Efes was not getting tired and their players seem to have unstoppable energy. Nobody understood this sudden physical change. Efes won the series 4-2 with this change.
When the results of the doping test came, everyone understood the reason for this change. Anadolu Efes players Kerem Gönlüm and Mario Kasun were found to be doping. These players used the substance called “Cathine”. That wasn’t legal. Despite this, Efes became the champion of that season. Because according to the rules of Turkey basketball league, the whole team had to do doping for a punishment. But a team could send only 2 players to a doping test. (Rule changed after this tragicomic event). After this event, Kerem and Kasun were punished for two years. but Efes Pilsen was declared the champion.
At the start of the 2012-2013 season, Ataman agreed with Galatasaray (the most important rival of Fenerbahçe in football). David Hawkins, who wons champions with Ergin Ataman in Beşiktaş last season, also agreed with Galatasaray. But after a short time, it has been found, David Hawkins also did doping. He was banned from basketball for 4 years. Coach Ataman lost to Obradovic’s Fenerbahçe at end of the season (Galatasaray didn’t show up for the last match and so they have lost 20-0 according to rules). After the match, coach Ataman said some bad words about Fenerbahçe fans and once again the tension increased.
In the 2015-2016 season, this time Stephane Lasme, who is again one of Ergin Ataman’s player was found guilty for doping. Galatasaray won the Eurocup but Ergin Ataman was defeated by Obradovic’s Fenerbahçe once again in the Turkish playoffs. For this reasons Fenerbahçe fans called him “Mr. Ataman do doping” and “Cathine Ataman”.
Ergin Ataman also said “Obradovic prefer playing without a Turkish player” about the Fenerbahçe’s Euroleague final four domination. This statement made Fenerbahçe fans angrier because Turkish players Ali Muhammed, Ahmet Duverioglu and Melih Mahmutoğlu have played. After his statement about Turkish players, Turkish National Team’s head coach Ataman gave 35 minutes to Ali Muhammed per game. But just a couple months before this tournament, he wasn’t even considering Ali Muhammed as a Turkish player. In a nutshell, if coach Ataman continues to his inappropriate statements, the problem between Fenerbahçe fans and Coach Ataman will rise again and again.
Onat Orhan Selvi, info@brainbasketball.net
