Serkan Acar

Serkan Acar — Biography

Serkan Acar was a defender and club official who gave most of his life to Fenerbahçe; after his playing days he stayed inside the club for decades and ended up as its general manager. Sources give his birthplace as either Istanbul or Ankara.

He came through Fenerbahçe's youth system, played in defence and sometimes in midfield, and captained the side for a time. Between 1967 and 1978 he made 295 appearances and scored 13 goals, winning the league in 1967-68, 1969-70, 1973-74, 1974-75 and 1977-78 and the Turkish Cup in 1973-74. After he stopped playing he took on roles as team manager, club director and administrative coordinator from 1979-80, working under nine different club presidents. His association with the club lasted around 47 years.

His name also appeared outside sport. He was married to Zeynep Değirmencioğlu, known as the child star Ayşecik, and they had two children. In the 1970s he acted in some films in which she also appeared; Hayat mı Bu (1972) is one of them. In the 2009 local elections he was elected to the Kadıköy municipal council for the CHP and kept the seat until his death in 2013. He died in Istanbul on 18 April 2013 at the age of 64 and was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery. Fenerbahçe continues to remember him on the anniversary of his death.