İsmail Demiriz

İsmail Demiriz — Biography

İsmail Demiriz was born on 1 April 1962 in Turgutlu, in Turkey's Manisa province. A right-back known for his defensive solidity, he spent the bulk of his playing career at Galatasaray, where he is remembered as one of the club's notable figures, before moving into coaching after retiring from the pitch.

In 2016 Demiriz was detained as part of a wider investigation into the Gülen movement (FETÖ), which Turkish authorities classify as a terrorist organization; he was released the following February. In March 2019 a Turkish court convicted him of membership in the group and sentenced him to six years and three months in prison, with his assets seized during the proceedings, before he was later released again as the case continued.