Instead of being in the Turkish national team squad for the first time against Montenegro, VfB captain Atakan Karazor is excluded. The reason goes back a long way.
Stuttgart – Friday evening (October 11th) should actually have been the next big milestone in Atakan Karazor’s career. After the captain of VfB Stuttgart was called up for the Turkish national team for the first time, Turkey hosted Montenegro in Group H at the Samsun 19 May Stadium in Tekkeköy on the third matchday of the Nations League.
The Turks won the game 1-0 after a goal from İrfan Can Kahveci in the 69th minute and lead their group with 7 points. However, Atakan Karazor was not on the pitch. What’s more, he was excluded from the squad before the game.
Atakan Karazor dropped from Turkey squad over previous rape allegations in Ibiza
Like the Turkish newspaper, among others Malatya Söz Reportedly, the Italian former professional and current head coach of Turkey, Vincenzo Montella, made this decision – apparently from a “technical” point of view, which was not explained in more detail. The deputy president of the Turkish Football Association, Ceyhun Kazancı, said before the international break: “Cases of violence against women and children shock us all. A court case regarding Atakan Karazor has been ongoing since 2022. Every individual is innocent until proven guilty.” Kazancı is sure that Karazor will continue to make “a big contribution” to the Turkish national team.
About the background: The current VfB captain was arrested on June 9, 2022 after a night of partying in Ibiza. According to consistent reports, the then 25-year-old, who celebrated his 28th birthday on the Sunday after the Montenegro game (October 13), was accused of raping an 18-year-old with a friend. The young woman reported the alleged incident, whereupon the Spanish police arrested Karazor and another German.
Status quo: To date, no charges have been filed and the proceedings have not been discontinued. In addition, a party companion relieved the VfB star back then, how BW24 reported. The woman who was apparently there that night spoke loudly Ibiza Courier of non-violent sex. She and her friend first met Karazor and his friend in the Pacha nightclub. The four later apparently moved into a villa.
Karazor’s nomination for Turkey raises questions about the meaning
In view of the latest developments surrounding Türkiye’s game against Montenegro and Karazor’s exclusion from the squad, the question of the meaning of the nomination itself arises. After all, the incident that triggered it goes back more than two years and, as already indicated above, nothing significant has happened anymore, which means that the presumption of innocence applies. The nomination of the VfB captain for the national team caused an uproar in the Turkish community on social media; The exclusion of the squad means, among other things, that the earlier incident is brought to a boil again. Those responsible could have been aware of this in advance. Ultimately, only one person in particular suffers involuntarily and that is Karazor himself.
By the way: The VfB captain had… Interview with the Stuttgarter Nachrichten before the 2023/24 season said that he did not want to comment on the allegations “as long as the proceedings have not been completed. My lawyers are in charge of the case so that I can concentrate on my job, football.”
