Fethi Heper

Fethi Heper — Biography

Fethi Heper was a forward, Eskişehirspor's highest league scorer of all time, who later became a professor of public finance. He was the Süper Lig's top scorer twice in the 1970s, and he was the "Fethi" of the supporters' chant "Fethi-Nihat-Ender, send it to the net". He died in Eskişehir on 13 February 2025, aged 81. His name was given to the club's stadium and to the Fethi Heper Sports Middle School, opened in 2026.

He was the youngest of five children in a sporting family; his first ball was a diploma gift his cartoonist brother Beytullah Heper received in 1955. He started in Eskişehir's neighbourhood clubs, won the inter-academy Turkish championship with the Academy of Commercial Sciences side in 1963 and joined the founding squad of Eskişehirspor, where he spent his whole professional career: top scorer with 13 goals in 1969-70 and 20 in 1971-72, and a member of the squad that won the 1970-71 Turkish Cup. His four goals against Finland's Mikkeli in the UEFA Cup remained until 2008 the most a Turkish player had scored in one international match. His chest control earned him the nickname "Çengel". He stopped playing in 1974.

He studied alongside football: degree in 1967, doctorate in 1978, associate professor of public finance in 1981 and full professor in 1988. His books include Türkiye'de Servetlerin Vergilendirilmesi (1981). From 2012 he sat on the Turkish Football Federation's board, responsible for the National Teams Committee.