Turkish coach sets record for longest tenure

The regional coach has set a new record for the longest tenure in Turkish football.

Altinordu FK’s veteran coach Huseyin Eroglu led his team to a 1-0 victory on Monday in their second division clash with Gazisehir Gaziantep. This was more than just another league game, however. The 46-year-old set a new record in Turkish football by becoming the longest-serving coach of a professional football club in Turkey after leading Altinordu FK in 226 league games.

The previous record was held by Gordon Milne, the English coach who was in charge of Besiktas between 1987 and 1994, with 222 games.

In a league where coaches are disposed of without much hesitation, many times in the middle of the season, Eroglu’s feat is a rare sight.

He has coached Altinordu FK for 7 seasons and are currently in fifth place in the 1.Lig (First Lig), the second division of Turkish football.

The club are well-known in Turkey for focusing on homegrown talent and having produced Cengiz Under and Caglar Soyuncu, who are both playing abroad for AS Roma and Leicester City, respectively.

Based in Izmir, Altinordu hopes to compete in the Super Lig with a side entirely composed of Turkish players.

Eroglu’s record with Altinordu is an impressive one; 113 wins, 60 draws and 53 losses.

While acknowledging the record, he emphasized team play is more important.

“Our success is tied to stability and team play. The team has clockwork precision when it comes to success,” he said.

The Germany-born coach began his coaching career in 2007 with Bucaspor before moving to Altinordu FK.