Candan Dumanlı

Candan Dumanlı — Biography

Candan Dumanlı was a football man who played fourteen uninterrupted years for Ankaragücü, where he is counted among the club's emblematic players, and who then coached in the Turkish leagues for about 28 years. He made his name as a winger; in 1963-64 he scored 15 goals in 29 league matches and finished high in the scoring race. The club used to invite him to every home match.

He started at the Kayseri Fener youth club, was called up to the youth national team, and after two seasons at Kayseri Şekerspor moved to Ankaragücü. After retiring as a player he spent six months training as a coach at Leeds United and in 1971-72 became Ziya Taner's assistant at Ankaragücü. His first managerial job was a single match at Altay in 1978-79; the same season he took over Diyarbakırspor. At Eskişehirspor, where he came on Ziya Taner's recommendation, he finished sixth in the league in his first season; in later years he coached Orduspor, Zonguldakspor, Adanaspor, Malatyaspor, Tarsus İdman Yurdu and Muşspor.

The high points of his managerial career were two promotions to the Süper Lig: with Mersin İdman Yurdu in 1981-82, by finishing third in the First League, and with Petrolofisi in 1993-94, as champions. He had three separate spells at Eskişehirspor and ended his coaching career there in 1996-97. He died on 26 February 2026 at the age of 87.