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Hakan Unsal, a former member of the Turkish national team and Galatasaray SK, one of Istanbul’s top clubs, said in a recent television interview that he has cut ties with cleric Fethullah Gulen’s group. He played in a match in Denmark in May 2000.
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Graham Chadwick/Allsport/Getty Images
ISTANBUL—For nearly four years, Said Alpsoy recruited dozens of Turkey’s top soccer stars into the network of supporters of the reclusive Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Mr. Alpsoy spent hours counseling rising stars in Turkey’s most popular sport, many from poor families, on how Mr. Gulen’s teachings could help them stay grounded and cope with the lures of fame. In return, they donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cleric’s group and supporters, Mr. Alpsoy said.
Now, Mr. Gulen is Turkey’s most wanted man, accused by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating July’s failed coup—a charge he denies. And Mr. Erdogan and his allies have launched a far-reaching effort to purge institutions such as schools, the military and the judiciary of suspected Gulen supporters.
The movement’s recruitment efforts extended beyond government, according to Mr. Alpsoy, who said gaining the backing of well-known soccer players brought the group celebrity status. His descriptions of his work provide an insider’s view of the recruiting process.
“Turkey’s popular and beloved [soccer] players were used as a vehicle for advertising the community, the status of the community,” Mr. Alpsoy said, referring to Mr. Gulen’s group, known in Turkish as the Cemaat.
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Said Alpsoy in Istanbul on June 1, 2014
Photo:
Isa Tatlican
There is no evidence the donations were used for illegal activity. But in Turkey’s highly politicized atmosphere after the coup, the ties between the Cemaat and top athletes are roiling the Turkish sports world and tarnishing the reputations of some of its heroes, including soccer star Hakan Sukur and Enes Kanter, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association.
The Turkish government has classified Mr. Gulen’s organization as a terrorist group. Supporters of Mr. Gulen say the moves against them are politically motivated and Mr. Gulen has denounced violence and the coup attempt.
Mr. Sukur, the top goal scorer in Turkish history, thrived while Messrs. Erdogan and Gulen were allies. One of his public wedding photos shows both Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Gulen as guests of honor.
Now, he is wanted on suspicion of helping the coup plotters. His whereabouts are unknown and he couldn’t be reached for comment. Authorities have seized his assets and detained his father. In previous statements, Mr. Sukur has denounced the coup and denied any wrongdoing.
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Meanwhile, Mr. Kanter has been disowned by his family in Turkey for his open and continued support of Mr. Gulen. He declined to comment.
Mr. Alpsoy said he started working for the Gulen network after being drawn to the cleric’s teachings. He said he left in 2003, disillusioned with what he saw as a cult of personality that was more interested in power and money than practicing Islam. Mr. Alpsoy said he wants to tell the story now as a way of paying Turkey back for the time he spent helping the group.
Mr. Gulen and his associates didn’t respond to inquiries about Mr. Alpsoy’s comments and supporters in the Turkish soccer world.
In 1987, Mr. Alpsoy joined the Cemaat after moving to Istanbul and becoming interested in religion. After several years he got a job at a publishing house that printed textbooks for Mr. Gulen’s schools.
A veteran soccer star from Galatasaray SK, one of Istanbul’s top clubs, asked him in 1999 to help recruit other players, he said.
Hakan Unsal, a former Galatasaray player and national team member, confirmed in a television interview that he knew Mr. Alpsoy and met Mr. Gulen when his soccer career was taking off.
ENLARGE
Enes Kanter of the Oklahoma City Thunder soars to the basket during an N.B.A playoff game in May against the San Antonio Spurs.
Photo:
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
“I was without my family and alone in a place I didn’t know. I wanted someone who was going to show me a path,” Mr. Unsal said in the interview aired in August with Turkish broadcaster CNNTurk, in which he spoke by telephone. In the interview, Mr. Unsal said he gave donations to the Cemaat, but that he has cut ties with the group. He didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Alpsoy’s work coincided with Turkey’s growing international soccer success. In 2002, the national team, which included several of Mr. Alpsoy’s recruits, won third place in the FIFA World Cup.
After the win, a group of Cemaat followers from the team took at least $250,000, packed in suitcases, to the Pennsylvania compound where Mr. Gulen has lived since 1999, Mr. Alpsoy said. He said he had direct knowledge of the size of the donation from his contact with players, but was unaware of who received the money or how it was spent.
By 2003, Mr. Alpsoy said he had successfully recruited around half of Galatasaray’s team. However, it was much harder to recruit at Istanbul’s other top clubs, such as Fenerbahce SK and Besiktas JK, he said.
Galatasaray didn't respond to inquiries. The team’s leadership has condemned the coup attempt and praised fans for rallying against it.
He quit the Cemaat soon after, published books on Islam and started writing about the dangers of the movement.
“I left because there were many problems and they weren’t following a path of Islam,” he said. “I can truly say I hate them now.”
Write to Thomas Grove at thomas.grove@wsj.com
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