Artistic
AMSUN - The question to the Turkish chairman of the billiard federation, mister Ugur Kurugöllü, actually was: what happened between you and Semih Sayginer. What is the reason that the Turkish billiards legend doesn't play international tournaments already for years? And is there any chance that Semih, the former world champion in three cushion, will come back, because many billiard fans are looking forward to the return of the legend.
The explanation of the chairman, during the World championship three cushion in Porto, forced Semih Sayginer to a fierce reaction. The magicien, the champion of the trickshots, makes no secret: as long as this president leads the Turkish league, I will not return.
,,I have the right to respond to his story, because he is lying all the time. This is my life philosophy: tell the truth, it's easy to remember.''
The answer of the Turkish legend:
,,I can mention many things about how things happened to force me to make the decision and stop my relation with the Turkish federation. Two times, the president didn't sign my official papers before the deadline, so that I could not play for FC Porto. We had the agreement with FCPorto and still he just delayed and delayed to sign it with stupid excuses and finally it was too late... Then he didn't do my confirmation to participate for the World Cups in Mexico and Korea and also for the World championship in Equador in 2007, allthough I was a seeded player.''
,,These are just some examples and there are many more, I can tell you. This guy behaves like he is the owner of the federation. The players in Turkey didn't react or are afraid to react, or maybe they like the situation that I was facing with this man. Not having any reactions from the players side makes him stronger and finally billiard in Turkey is not the same as before.''
,,I feel sorry for the billiard sport in my country and hope those guys will leave after the election at the end of this year...''
,,The war between them and me started in 2005, before the World championship in Viersen. What this man said about this championship, that I insisted to choose the players, is not the truth. Especially 'threatening him'' like that, he is just trying to make me look like a bad guy. In the mean time I didn't talk to him at all. The only discussion was with Ugur Duz on the phone, who was the vice president at that time and I explained him with all my experience that I was ,,already practicing with Tayfun Tasdemir for 2,5 months to prepare for Viersen and now the president suddenly changed the team member. Instead of Tayfun he put Yilmaz Özcan in the team just ten days before the championship.''
,,He did it for fun or to show he is the boss and he can decide whatever he likes. And I asked Ugur Duz if he was the national team coach to make such an important decision, or the president of the federation? And what could be the reason he changed the team, because this way we will lose, I said. I also told him that it was ,,very difficult to be successful without any preparation and especially the two times straight Worldchampion team shouldn't be changed unless there was something urgent or wrong about one of the team members."
,,And Ugur told me on the phone, that the president explained to him the rule of the Turkish federation: number 1 and 2 of the actual ranking have the right to represent the country in World Championship for national teams. That was the reason he had changed the players. But I said: I'm the number 3 right now, why dit you put me as team captain then?"
,,Ugur Duz explained to me that the president told him: they wanted to profit from my experience...!" Funny huh...! And I asked him to send me the specific rule on paper, but finally he couldn't, because I already knew there wasn't such a rule. He just made it up...''
,,After this discussion with Ugur Duz, the federation sent me an official letter and asked me if I wanted to participate in the World Championship for national teams in 2005 or not. My official answer was: yes, without knowing any order of players. So I was not insisting on anything, but just trying to give them my advice according to my experience. Then, they put me as a reserve player in that specific World championship in 2005. And when the team (Özcan and Yüksel) lost in the groups and did not qualify, the president got mad and put me in a position that I was the responsible person for this disaster. He started to blame me to the players, the billiard world and the officials too, by lying as usual. Because he had to blame somebody or find the responsable person to explain to the officials in the Sport section in Turkey after this terrible decision. So, somebody else then the president himself had to be responsible for this disaster after two years straight Worldchampion title.''!
,,When he was back in Turkey, he was lobbying to the officials of the Turkish sport and youth section and the board of the federation to make them convince that I had done terrible things in Viersen to make the Turkish team lose. So he could give me the suspension by puting lots of lies inside the documents after people in the board of the federation were convinced what he explained. After that suspension, he started to declare that ,,Semih Sayginer case was closed.'' He said: I will erase him from billiards...!"
,,Some months after this terrible situation, I made peace with this guy in the 2005 Worldcup in İstanbul, which took place in november. We made a cover photo that we hug eachother for Bilardo Magazin in Turkey. Can you imagine, how could I hug him after all these terrible things he had done to me? I did it because I wanted to continue my profession, make peace and not damage the billiard sport in Turkey. That was very difficult but I did it by forgetting everything he had done to me. I think I did what I had to do...!''
,,Most interestingly, just one year after what happened was funny...! The 2006 World championship in Viersen was completely a proof of the way he is lying. I didn't play a single tournament in 2005 in Turkey and I was not in the Turkish ranking at all. But, before the 2006 World championship for teams, he called me to ask if I wanted to play in Viersen again. And I told him, yes, if you want, I can play.'' Finally I was playing in Viersen with Adnan Yuksel and he was number 3 in the Turkish ranking at that time. Me, I was not in the ranking at all. The numbers 1 and 2 were Tayfun Tasdemir and Murat Naci Coklu. Where is the rule, tell me?''
,,Afterwards he just decided to create his own 'heroes' to be able to do everything the way he likes. And nobody said one word. But he couldn't do it because I won all tournaments in 2006 in which I started with a wildcard from the first tournament, because I was not a ranked player. All games that I have been playing - and especially final games - all board members were looking at me full of hate and nobody from the board was clapping for me. You can imagine what was happening in the final games. I still won the matches and that made them crazy. He started to lose control. Now he is choking himself inside the lies that he is telling about everything.''
,,As you know, a person can not own an entire federation, but it's not like it is here in Turkey right now. This president behaves like the federation belongs to him and today you can see that in the federation's webpage, I don't exist. There is a part in the webpage about ,,players we are proud of...'' I am not there either. So this is completely personal jealousy of this person and still trying to blame me by telling lies.''
,,Finally, I think he gets so mad that he can not erase me since eight years as a person and as a billiard player as well. Because I am still successful with everything I do in my life and even in billiards as well. Getting contract with Longoni, selling lots of cues worldwide, making new models, playing many exibithions in Turkey and other countries, have a facebook page with close to 50.000 followers and also get some respected invitations like in Japan, Korea, Peru, Vietnam, Colombia etc. And some weeks ago, I won the last tournament in Colombia.''
,,The reason I still exist is because I am honest and one day I will be back in my sport after those people leave the federation...''
,,This is my last word and it's my life philosophy: tell the truth, it's easy to remember..."
All my best.