Turkey look to the future

Turkish coach Senol Günes has called up ten new players for a friendly tournament in Dubai between 5 and 7 January, seeking new options as he prepares for their UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifier away to England on 2 April.

Players rested
Günes has not called any of his regular foreign-based players to the 22-man squad, leaving out Internazionale FC's Emre Belözoglu and Blackburn Rovers FC's Tugay Kerimoglu, among others. Also rested are veteran Galatasaray SK campaigners Ergün Penbe, Bülent Korkmaz, Ümit Davala and Arif Erdem, as well as injured first-choice keeper Rüstu Reçber, who plays his club football with Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe SK.

Promise realised
In their place for the tournament against Belarus and Ghana come a wave of promotions from the under-21 side and call-ups for some of the outstanding players of the current Turkish domestic season. Günes has long promised to widen his squad and bring in younger players but opted to stick by the core of his successful 2002 FIFA World Cup side for a 1-1 draw against Italy in November.

Denizlispor run recognised
Three players from mid-table Denizlispor, who have battled to a fourth-round place in the UEFA Cup this season, have been included namely striker Mustafa Özkan, midfielder Ali Tandogan and defender Servet Cetin. The great form of Fenerbahçe's attacking midfielder Tuncay Sanli wins him his first full senior place, while striker Tümer Metin and midfielder Ahmet Yildirim of league-leaders Besiktas JK are also named in Günes' squad. The only new foreign-based player is Erol Bulut of Greek side Panionios GS, once an Under-21 regular when he played with Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor. Also included is Aston Villa FC defender Alpay Özalan who remains at odds with the English side.

Turkey squad
Ömer Çatkiç, Zafer Ozgultekin, Fatih Akyel, Alpay Özalan, Hakan Ünsal, Deniz Baris, Servet Cetin, Orhan Ak, Erol Bulut, Cihan Haspolatli, Tümer Metin, Ahmet Yildirim, Ibrahim Toraman, Kemal Aslan, Ali Tandogan, Selcuk Sahin, Hasan Sas, Serhat Akin, Tuncay Sanli, Ilhan Mansiz, Fatih Tekke, Mustafa Özkan.