Turkish football club declares war on beards

A Turkish football club has decided to issue a hefty fine for beards, after its chairman claimed some footballers look like students of imam-training schools.

"I am 80-year-old and I shave every single day," Gençlerbirliği chairman İlhan Cavcav explained the reasoning of his club's decision to start issuing a fine of 25,000 Turkish Liras ($11,200) to any of its footballers with beards.

"Man, is this an imam-hatip school? You are a sportsman. You should be a model for the youth," he added in an interview with the Doğan News Agency on Nov. 15, while complaining that that his own grandson is negatively affected by the ever-growing beards in the football world.

As "bad examples," Cavcav mentioned Beşiktaş coach Slaven Bilic, Beşiktaş midfielder Olcay Şahan, Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel and Galatasaray midfielder Selçuk Ä°nan. 

Cavcav also said that he applied to Yıldırım Demirören, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chairman, to adopt a nationwide beard ban for footballers. 

"He told me that they could not impose such a restriction because the UEFA would not let them do it. I am fed up with this UEFA. I wish we had some other place to play our football," he concluded, stressing that he will push other clubs to take a common position against beards on the pitch.