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Süleyman Seba (; 5 April 1926 – 13 August 2014) was a Turkish football player of Abkhazian origin and was the longest presiding Chairman of the
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
based multisports club Beşiktaş J.K. He was also an intelligence officer for
National Intelligence Organization (Turkey) The National Intelligence Organization ( tr, Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı, MİT) is the state intelligence agency of Turkey. Established in 1965 to replace National Security Service, its aim is to gather information about the current and po ...
in the mission of countering communism.


Biography


Early life

Süleyman Seba ( Abkhaz name Tsiba) was born on 5 April 1926 in Soğuksulu, a village in the
Sakarya Province Sakarya ( tr, ) is a province in Turkey, located on the coast of Black Sea. The Sakarya River creates a webbing of estuaries in the province, which is in the Marmara Region. The adjacent provinces are Kocaeli to the west, Bilecik to the south, ...
of
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. Seba family moved to Akaretler district in
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
,
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
when Süleyman Seba was 5 or 6 years old. Although most sources say that Seba attended the prestigious
Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...
in the
Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, mean ...
district for a while, some other sources say that this was just a plan. After finishing elementary school in Beşiktaş in 1938, Seba went to
Kabataş High School Kabataş may refer to: * Kabataş, Beyoğlu, a quarter in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey ** Kabataş (Istanbul Metro), a funicular railway station * Kabataş, Çine, a village in Aydın Province, Turkey * Kabataş, Kemaliye, a village in Erz ...
on the
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
, another prestigious historic Turkish high school, in the
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
district. He selected this school due to its proximity to the training fields of the local football club Beşiktaş J.K. Seba later enrolled in
Mimar Sinan University The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University ( tr, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish public university dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbul ...
's Faculty of Literature to study French philology, but because of his football career he never graduated. He also tried to obtain a degree in geography but he couldn't attend the exams when Beşiktaş J.K. was invited to play some friendlies in the United States.


Football player

Seba started to play football in the Kabataş High School team. The promising player was soon discovered by the local football club Beşiktaş J.K. and admitted to its junior team. With his contribution, the junior team became the champions of that season, and Seba was promoted to the rank of team captain a short time later. In 1946, he was called to become a member of the A-team. Seba scored 19
Istanbul Football League The Istanbul Football League ( tr, İstanbul Futbol Ligi) was founded as a regional football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Emp ...
goals in 70 matches between 1946 and 1953. He also played in 17 Milli Küme Şampiyonası matches and scored 3 goals. He won one Turkish title at the end of his first professional season for Beşiktaş in
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January– February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the count ...
. He also won 3 Istanbul titles. In 1950, Süleyman Seba joined the Beşiktaş J.K. squad that went to the USA to play some friendly matches. They played against American Soccer League all-stars, some regional all-star teams, and
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. It is rumoured that Manchester United wanted to transfer Seba after the match. Seba went down in Turkish football history when he scored the first ever goal in
BJK İnönü Stadium İnönü Stadium ( tr, İnönü Stadyumu) was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş J.K. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray S.K. and Fenerbahçe S.K. The ground wa ...
against the Swedish side
Allmänna Idrottsklubben AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
during the inauguration match of the venue in 1947. The match was played as the first match of AIK's tour in Turkey. Seba scored the first goal in the stadium on the 40th minute. In one of his last interviews, he narrated the goal saying: "Faruk ağnakkicked the ball from the left side to me. Then, I stopped the ball. Presumably, I faked two footballers and I scored the goal like that". AIK won that match 3-2. In 1954, he was forced to retire from his career as a footballer due to a
meniscus Meniscus may refer to: * Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity * Meniscus (liquid), a curve in the upper surface of liquid contained in an object *Meniscus (optics) A lens is a ...
injury. During his entire professional career he played only for Beşiktaş J.K.


International career

Seba was never called up to the Turkish national squad; however, he was given the opportunity to play for
Turkey national under-21 football team Turkey's national Under-21 football team ( tr, Ümit Milli Futbol Takımı), also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team. History This team is for Turkish players aged ...
. Initially,
Turkish Football Federation The Turkish Football Federation (; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Süper Lig, Turk ...
gave Beşiktaş J.K. (then-champions of
Istanbul Football League The Istanbul Football League ( tr, İstanbul Futbol Ligi) was founded as a regional football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Emp ...
) the permission to represent the Turkish side in the Turkey's last match in the East Mediterranean Cup 1950-1953 against
Greece national football team The Greece national football team ( el, Εθνική Ελλάδας, ) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play mos ...
. Although the squad was strengthened by some additions from
Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other dep ...
and Fenerbahçe S.K., Beşiktaş J.K. obtained the right to use the Turkish flag in their emblem, and it is still being used by the club today. Süleyman Seba was among the players who were selected to play against Greece. On 16 May 1952, he played his first and only game where Turkey lost 0-1.


Career after retiring from football

There is not much information on Seba's years after retiring from active sports. However, it is known that he served for some time in the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and rose to the rank of
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
.


Club president

In 1957, Seba became an active member of Beşiktaş J.K. Six years later, in 1963, he became a member of the club's Presidential Council. In 1984 Seba took the helm of the club, gaining more votes in the presidential election than
Mehmet Üstünkaya Mehmed (modern Turkish language, Turkish: Mehmet) is the most common Bosnian and Turkish form of the Arabic name Muhammad (name), Muhammad ( ar, محمد) (''Muhammed'' and ''Muhammet'' are also used, though considerably less) and gains its signi ...
who was the club president between 1981–1984. The election was held on April 1, 1984. Seba got the support of 403 members whereas Üstünkaya obtained the support of 338 members. During this election Seba received the support of the all-time Beşiktaş legend "Baba" (Father)
Hakkı Yeten Hakkı Yeten, (3 December 1910 – 16 April 1989) was a Turkish football player and president of the İstanbul-based football club Beşiktaş J.K., which he also coached. He is one of the most important names in Beşiktaş history. He made Beşi ...
. In his first full season he signed
Branko Stanković Branko "Stane" Stanković ( sr-Cyrl, Бранко "Стане" Станковић, ; 31 October 1921 – 20 February 2002) was a Bosnian Serb footballer and manager, from Sarajevo. Playing career Club He started his career in SK Slavija Saraje ...
as the new manager of the team, tried to solve the debt issues of the clubs, and started to invest in club's facilities. Beşiktaş lost the league championship on goal difference but Seba decided to continue with Stanković. In January 1986, Beşiktaş won the Fleet Cup, which was the first official trophy that was won during the Seba presidency. On 23 February 1986, Seba was elected again and his second term started. At the end of 1985-86 season, Stanković's Beşiktaş won the
Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...
championship on goal difference. The championship was won for the first time in four years. Beşiktaş closed the season by winning the Presidential Cup as well. During Seba's era, Beşiktaş became the dominant team in Turkey and in the 1986–1987 season reached the quarter-finals of the European Champion Clubs' Cup (known as the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
today) but lost to
Dynamo Kyiv Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society, the club as a separate business entity was offic ...
. When Seba brought
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...
coach
Gordon Milne Gordon Milne (born 29 March 1937) is an English former football player and manager. Personal life Gordon Milne was born in Preston, Lancashire, England and is the son of the Scottish former Preston player Jimmy Milne and Jesse Milne. Club car ...
, no one knew that Beşiktaş was set for years of dominance in the Turkish Super League. With a strong team of young players like "Atom Karınca" (Atom Ant)
Rıza Çalımbay Rıza Çalımbay (born 2 February 1963) is a UEFA Pro Licensed Turkish football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Sivasspor. He was one of the symbol names of Beşiktaş and was among the best players of his time. Becau ...
(team captain),
Feyyaz Uçar Feyyaz Uçar (born 27 October 1963) is a Turkish former professional football player, who played as a striker, and more recently a coach. Career Born in Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κ ...
, "Sarı Fırtına" (Blonde Storm) Metin Tekin,
Ali Gültiken Ali Kurtuluş Gültiken (born 27 June 1965) is a former professional football player, manager, and scout. He is a part of the most famous trio of the Turkish football team Beşiktaş history alongside Metin Tekin and Feyyaz Uçar in the early 19 ...
,
Gökhan Keskin Gökhan Keskin (born 31 March 1966 in Istanbul) is a retired Turkish professional footballer. He played for Beşiktaş and İstanbulspor. Club career Keskin spent seventeen seasons in the Süper Lig with Beşiktaş and İstanbulspor Internationa ...
,
Mehmet Özdilek Mehmet "Şifo" Özdilek (born 1 April 1966, in Samsun) is a Turkish football manager and former player. He is nicknamed "Şifo" after Belgian star Enzo Scifo with whom he shared a similar playing style. Having spent most of his professional care ...
and
Sergen Yalçın Ali Rıza Sergen Yalçın (born 5 November 1972), known as Sergen Yalçın, is a Turkish football commentator, coach and former international footballer who played as a midfielder. Coming through the Beşiktaş Youth Infrastructure which he ...
, Beşiktaş won three League titles in a row between 1989–1992. Beşiktaş later became the League Champions in 1994–1995, but then went on for years to finish behind
Fatih Terim Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish association football manager and former player. He is the former manager of Galatasaray, a position he previously held four times. Terim has managed several clubs in Italy (Milan and Fiorentina) ...
's
Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other dep ...
. Seba went on for a 16-year presidency as club chairman of Beşiktaş J.K. He worked with several world famous trainers like
Christoph Daum Christoph Paul Daum (born 24 October 1953) is a German professional football manager and former player. Daum played as a midfielder and was a junior for several clubs from the region of Duisburg. He began his senior career with Hamborn 07 and ...
, John Benjamin Toshack, and
Karl Heinz Feldkamp Karl-Heinz Feldkamp (born 2 June 1934) is a German retired football manager and player. Feldkamp started coaching in 1968. In Germany, he coached Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and Eintracht Frankfurt, among others. He previously coac ...
. In 1998, he was elected as the chairman one more time and he announced that this was going to his final term. He was elected as the honorary chairman in the next financial congress in February 2000. Although he declared his support for Hasan Arat in the next chairman elections,
Serdar Bilgili Serdar Bilgili (born 1963) is a businessman who served as the president of the Istanbul-based football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''footbal ...
was elected on 27 March 2000 and became his successor. During his retirement, the honorary chairman Seba was one of the most respected figures of Beşiktaş J.K., which became a financially strong club thanks to his efforts – far stronger than the practically bankrupt club which he took over in 1984.


Death

Seba died on August 13, 2014. He was laid to rest at the
Feriköy Cemetery The Feriköy Cemetery ( tr, Feriköy Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated in Feriköy quarter of Şişli district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from ...
, Istanbul.


Honours

The famous historic avenue in the Akaretler quarter of
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
, where the club's HQ is located, has been renamed as Süleyman Seba Avenue in his honour. The 2014–15 season of the
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
, which began less than a month after Seba's death, was officially dedicated to him by the
Turkish Football Federation The Turkish Football Federation (; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Süper Lig, Turk ...
.


Trophies won by club during presidency

*
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
(5): ** 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95 *
Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
(4): **1989, 1990, 1994, 1998 * Turkish Presidents Cup (5) **1986, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998 *
Chancellor Cup The Prime Minister's Cup ( tr, Başbakanlık Kupası) was a football competition organised by the Turkish Football Federation in Turkey. It began in 1944 and continued until 1950 as a unique kind of super cup competition between the winners of ...
(2): **1988, 1997 *
Fleet Cup The Fleet Cup (Turkish: ''Donanma Kupası'') was a football competition in Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinen ...
(1): **1986 * TSYD Cup (6): **1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997


See also

* List of one-club men


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Süleyman Seba
at Beşiktaş J.K.
Süleyman Seba
at TFF {{DEFAULTSORT:Seba, Suleyman 1926 births People from Hendek Turkish people of Abkhazian descent Beşiktaş J.K. footballers Beşiktaş J.K. presidents People of the National Intelligence Organization (Turkey) Kabataş Erkek Lisesi alumni Galatasaray High School alumni Istanbul University alumni Turkey under-21 international footballers 2014 deaths Burials at Feriköy Cemetery Association football wingers Turkish footballers