Hundreds of drops fill the glass, but it is the last drop that overflows it. Sometimes it is a word, sometimes an action.
Many problematic situations are glossed over, covered up or even dismissed as unimportant. But even if the last straw is a simple incident, it suddenly becomes the most important issue because it causes an overflow. The important thing is that it is the last straw.
Often we know in advance that it will be the last straw and we are very careful not to let it overflow. This is especially true in reciprocal relationships.
But in social matters, for some reason, we are more careless.
However, those with foresight are aware of rapidly heading towards the last straw even in such catastrophic matters.
Nevertheless, everyone tries to blame each other. They deliberately move towards the last drop. History is full of such incidents. The important thing is to learn from them.
Look, on Sunday, June 28, 1914, there was a murder that is not uncommon in the world. Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated along with his wife during a visit to Sarajevo. This incident, known as the “Sarajevo Assassination”, was described in historical texts as the spark that started the First World War and the thunder that fell on Europe. Because this assassination was the last straw for the First World War. Indeed, exactly one month after the Sarajevo assassination, on July 28, 1914, the world fell into a ring of fire. This war, which lasted four years, would be characterized as the first world war…
In fact, there had been hundreds of such events in history. But this time, the outbreak of a world war had been observed for perhaps thirty years. Armament and divisions were being made accordingly. As a matter of fact, Abdülhamid II Khan, after he was deposed from the throne, would say, “I had been waiting for such a war for twenty-five years”. But unfortunately, he was no longer in the reign. Because the goal was also the swallowing of the Ottoman Empire.
Likewise, before the September 12th Revolution, a letter from Kenan Evren had given the news that the last straw for the coup was approaching. But the politicians of that period spent their days arguing about who the letter was written to, and only woke up when the coup took place!…
On December 17, 2010, the movement that began in Tunisia with the self-immolation of a young peddler was to be the last straw that would affect many countries. The popular protests that soon spread to many countries in North Africa and the Middle East were dubbed the “Arab Spring“.
In fact, the protests forced longtime leaders such as Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak and Zine Elabidine Ben Ali to leave the political scene. The outcome would be far beyond the expectations of the people and would only benefit the global powers.
Dangerous steps!
The Taksim Gezi Park incident was the fuse of such a movement. It was meant to create great turmoil in Turkey, topple the government, lead to civil strife and finally end with the division and partition of the country.
In fact, if the last straw movement in Turkey had succeeded, the Middle East would be completely different today. The so-called Islamic countries would have been designed by a caliph appointed by the Papacy. The Greater Middle East Project had been completed and Israel had almost achieved its ideal of the so-called “Arz-ı Mevud“.
Turkey’s intervention, without giving anyone a chance to spill the last drop and overflow the cup, has disrupted this process…
Look, despite this, the US and Israel have not given up their ideal and have launched attacks with different methods. They had some of their agents in Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas throw the last straw for the final occupation of Gaza. It is now clear that Israel itself planned the day of October 7, a year in advance, which set the stage for its latest attack, disabling the “iron dome” and striking the festival site with its own jets.
In this respect, the consequences of the last straw may lead to unexpected events. They can pull your rope with your hand.
Such an incident took place in Turkish sports on Monday evening. It really went down in history as a sad and regrettable incident for sports. Maybe for the first time ever, matches were suspended indefinitely for such an incident…
So is this going to be seen as a last straw? Will it not be examined as the last drop of what?
It was got out of hand!
Putting aside any match-fixing, mafia or honor fixing activities that have taken place in Turkish sports over the years, the incident that led to the relegation of Fenerbahçe during the FETÖ events was never a match-fixing case. It was an operation that would ignite major unrest in Turkey, such as the Gezi events, and topple the current government.
Despite this, this major operation against Fenerbahçe on July 3, 2011 was not fully investigated. It was prolonged like a rubber band with judicial investigations. In a sense, the big picture was not uncovered. Many of those responsible for that day continue to be in important positions today.
Likewise, the perpetrators of the shooting of the Fenerbahçe bus on the night of April 4, 2015 were not uncovered.
The role of referees in the FETÖ organization was never investigated. Their influence on the matches was not analyzed!…
Finally, in the matches played in recent years, the mistakes started to become more and more obvious.
BJK’s Josef de Souza’s remarks about future dangers were brushed aside.
Not even a yellow card was shown to Fenerbahce’s Oosterwolde when he was brought down with a broken neck. Decisions against Anatolian clubs were never scrutinized.
In a sense, the injustice was blatant.
When a Galatasaray manager challenged, “We will not finish this league”, he was not told “who are you”.
The Fenerbahce president was not properly questioned when he referred the referees to the nation.
The brutal attacks on referees in Trabzon and the holding of referees hostage went unanswered.
Commentators talked about the referee gang every week. It was emphasized that the referees were someone’s plaything. It went as far as betting gangs.
So who was responsible for questioning and analyzing all this, eliminating the wrongdoings, if any, and preventing referee mistakes?
Of course, this duty was on the Football Federation. It should resign!
The TFF, by hardly ever addressing these issues and acting like a stooge, overflowed the cup with this last drop in the game in Ankara. Now all the blame lies with the last drop of the glass?
This last straw, of course, has greatly shaken Turkey’s image in sports. The world’s media has headlined this attack in the strongest terms.
Normally, the indefinite postponement of football matches cannot be the result of such an incident. I don’t remember such a decision being taken in the past, even though there have been incidents ten times more severe than this one.
In this case, those responsible should receive the maximum punishment. It should never be mitigated by someone stepping in.
However, TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi and his team, who did not take seriously the many incidents that have taken place over the years and finally brought it to this point, should not stay there for even a minute. Obviously, it was their shortsightedness and callousness that caused this last straw.
Fair behavior of the men in charge of sports and impartiality of referees are essential. There can be no negligence in matters that can trigger the masses at any moment. Otherwise, a person who is indignant at the defeat of his team can always make sudden, erroneous actions individually. You get results by giving them the harshest punishment.
But isn’t it thought-provoking that a city and tens of thousands of people on social media act with satisfaction as a result of such a regrettable incident? This shows how many wrong and erroneous actions are being ignored and have reached a point where they cannot be prevented.
On the other hand, what is the solution to suddenly suspending football matches indefinitely? In fact, this is proof that there is no solution and that those in charge have lost their control.
Although it has been abandoned, you will see that this decision will also be discussed a lot in the coming days.
The sports minister should have taken matters into his own hands much earlier, discussed this dangerous trend in football with Federation President Mehmet Büyükekşi and drawn his attention to it. In fact, I think he should have sat down with all club presidents and evaluated the situation.
It is also important that Mr. President, the government and the sports minister carefully evaluate the developments that have brought sports to this point and take measures, not just dismiss the latest incident as an attack. Since 2011, the chaos into which Turkish football has been dragged should be seen.
Aziz Yıldırım’s cry of a time should not be forgotten. Because we live in an era where even events that are touted as “spring” turn into winter worse than “zemheri” (coldest time in winter).
Mehmet Büyükekşi and his team will no longer be able to make sound decisions and eliminate the unrest. Resignation will relieve Turkish sports. However, it is also imperative that justice is done without mercy to anyone. Otherwise, bigger controversies will be inevitable and the appetite of those who expect to gain from this will increase even more.
REFLECTION
If you are wise, consult and do not err in taking precautions,
If you have done wrong, don’t go back and slander fate!
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil
15th December 2023
Türkiye Gazetesi