Candan Tarhan

Candan Tarhan — Biography

Candan Tarhan was a Turkish footballer and manager who played for years as a forward at MKE Ankaragücü and then moved into coaching, taking charge of the Turkey national team in 1984. He died in Kuşadası on 18 April 1989 during the season in which he was coaching Kuşadasıspor, and a boulevard there now carries his name.

Born in Gaziantep, Tarhan graduated from Ankara College and studied textiles in England. He began at Şekerhilal, was picked for the youth (ümit) national side and moved to Ankaragücü in 1959. After scoring twice in six games for Gençlerbirliği he went back to his old club; military service kept him out for a while in 1962-63. Ankaragücü were relegated in 1967-68 and won the second league the following season to return to the top flight. He later played for Hatayspor and PTT, and retired in the second league in 1973-74.

He began coaching in 1975 with the Turkish amateur national team, took over the under-21s in 1976 and in 1977 became Metin Türel's assistant with the senior side. At club level he took Altay to sixth place in 1978-79, and in 1981-82 Zonguldakspor led the table for a spell before finishing fourth, seven points behind champions Beşiktaş. He also worked at Karşıyaka, Sarıyer, Beyoğluspor and Kuşadasıspor. While at Sarıyer he took over the national team, and after losses of 2-1 to Finland and 8-0 to England in the 1986 World Cup qualifying group he resigned. His son Ogan Tarhan is a sports writer.