Terim's tribute to Turkey youngsters
Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Turkey's senior coach Fatih Terim paid tribute to his nation's junior squad after their semi-final exit from the UEFA European Under-17 Championship on home soil.
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Shoot-out loss
Terim, who is preparing his UEFA EURO 2008™ squad nearby, carried out the draw for the finals, and was at the Mardan Sport Complex when Turkey drew 0-0 with Serbia to top Group A, and again on Tuesday as his team were held 1-1 by France before succumbing 4-3 on penalties. After that defeat, he was quick to console the Turkey players, drawing praise from U17 coach Şenol Ustaömer.
Congratulations
"I went down to the dressing room and congratulated them for what they have achieved so far," Terim told uefa.com. "We have to teach those players that losing is not the end of the world. Therefore I told them that they could reach the final in the the next tournament. They are young and we shouldn't harshly criticise them."
Batuhan promise
The national coach also had words of encouragement for highly-touted Beşiktaş JK striker Batuhan Karadeniz, who missed a penalty in the shoot-out after what proved a frustrating tournament for a player so talented. "Batuhan is a very promising player," Terim said. "We expect a lot of things from him in the future."