Cihat Arman

Cihat Arman — Biography

Cihat Arman is counted among the finest goalkeepers in the history of Fenerbahçe and Turkish football, and later worked as a manager and sports columnist. Fans called him "Yellow Canary" for the yellow sweater he wore in every match and "Flying Goalkeeper" for his acrobatic saves, and the canary emblem of Fenerbahçe grew out of that image. He is one of five players named in the club's anthem.

Born in Istanbul and schooled at Galatasaray High School, he continued his education in Ankara and began playing at Gençlerbirliği. In 1936 he moved to Güneş in Istanbul and, when that club closed, joined Fenerbahçe, appearing 308 times and winning six league titles, three Prime Minister's Cups and three Istanbul League titles. The war years limited him to thirteen caps in thirteen years, but he kept goal at the 1936 and 1948 Olympics and captained the Turkish delegation in 1948. As a manager he started at Fenerbahçe and later led Beşiktaş, İstanbulspor, Kasımpaşa, Eskişehirspor and Mersin İdman Yurdu. Under him, Turkey beat Syria 7-0 on 20 November 1949 and qualified for the 1950 World Cup, but financial difficulties kept the team at home. He also took charge of the national side in 1956, 1964 and during qualifying for the 1972 European Championship.

After coaching he commented on matches in newspapers, ran coaching courses and chaired Fenerbahçe-related associations. He died on 14 May 1994 and was buried in Aşiyan Cemetery.