Turkish Football Team Receives Presidential Boost After World Cup Qualifier Loss

Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Australia in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, the Turkish national football team received a significant morale boost from an unexpected source: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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I kiss you all on the eyes. Do not hang your heads, do not lose morale. You fought well. Hopefully, we will continue on our path by winning the next matches.

Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak conveyed the President's message to the team, which had been visibly disheartened by the loss. The President's words, relayed by TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, expressed his support and urged the players to remain optimistic. "I kiss you all on the eyes," the President reportedly said. "Do not hang your heads, do not lose morale. You fought well. Hopefully, we will continue on our path by winning the next matches."

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Some things are being written and said. It is truly sad for such things to be written. This team has played together since the European Championship. It is a team that knows and loves each other very well.

The encouraging message helped to lift the somber mood within the squad. Goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır and defender Samet Akaydin addressed the press, aiming to dispel rumors of internal discord. "Some things are being written and said. It is truly sad for such things to be written," Samet Akaydin stated, emphasizing the team's strong camaraderie since the European Championship.

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The Australia match did not discourage us; it strengthened us further. We will show the difference in the Paraguay match.

Both players expressed determination to bounce back. "The Australia match did not discourage us; it strengthened us further," Akaydin added. Çakır echoed this sentiment, stating, "We forgot the first match. We have two matches left that we can call finals. We want to win them and make our country proud, make it happy. We have a chance to compensate for this mistake in the Paraguay match." The team is now focused on their upcoming game against Paraguay, viewing it as an opportunity to secure a crucial victory.

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We forgot the first match. We have two matches left that we can call finals. We want to win them and make our country proud, make it happy. We have a chance to compensate for this mistake in the Paraguay match.