WHAT’S IN A NAME?
In 2022, Turkey rebranded itself as Türkiye, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declaring that the new name was “the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values.” However, there were additional motivations behind the change. According to Selim Koru from the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Erdoğan and his associates were genuinely irked by the association with the bird, a sentiment echoed by state broadcaster TRT, which acknowledged that the image of a loose-necked turkey was a contributing factor to the name change.
Despite the importance of name representation—just as the team at Starbucks understands—Turkey has struggled historically at the World Cup. With only one remarkable third-place finish in 2002, the team has a dismal track record, and their exit from the 2026 tournament followed two disappointing losses to Australia and Paraguay. The latter defeat stung especially hard, as Paraguay had to play with ten men for over half the match after Miguel Almirón was sent off for covering his mouth while talking to an opponent. Turkish wonderkid Arda Güler lamented, “The association with the bird genuinely annoys Erdoğan and the people around him,” reflecting the disappointment that permeated the squad. He added, “We should have won these games … everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying,”
Paraguay’s Matías Galarza scored the tournament’s fastest goal within just 65 seconds, while Turkey pressed hard against their opponents. Despite a barrage of shots—32 attempts on goal against Paraguay and 30 against Australia—the team failed to score. This 62-shot total stands as the highest number of attempts without a goal across any two-match stretch in World Cup history. Vincenzo Montella, the Italian manager of Turkey, expressed his disbelief.
“We tried very hard but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals.”
The implications of this early exit are yet to unfold. While changes within the management seem inevitable, the question remains: does the rebranding need another rebranding? Unlike Football Daily, not all can enjoy a generational reboot. Hard luck, Turkey/Türkiye. We may see you again in four years, but only time will tell.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
John Brewin kicks off our live coverage with the match between the Netherlands and Sweden at 6pm BST (1pm EDT), followed by Will Unwin who will cover Germany’s clash with Côte d’Ivoire at 11pm (6pm EDT). Alexander Abnos will then provide updates from Ecuador versus Curaçao at 8pm EDT (1am BST), and Jonathan Howcroft will host the coverage of Tunisia against Japan at midnight EDT (5am BST).
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Somehow the ball didn’t go in,”
said Argentinian host Florencia Peña while announcing her resignation. She attributed her on-air error to incorrect information fed through her earpiece, which led her to mistakenly report that Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father, had died, causing the player to withdraw from the tournament.
For those interested in more than just the GWC Golden Boot, we’ve developed an all-time top goalscorers page for the World Cup.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“It’s really shocking to say goodbye to the [Geopolitics] World Cup after only two matches. Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us.” wrote Phil Taverner.
“something that fails badly” noted Kate Clements.
“I am deeply ashamed to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted it. Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation. I apologise again from the heart; I was wrong” shared Thad Brown.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Thad Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
It’s day nine in the Big Brother Football Weekly house – Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, and the rest of the pod squad for their latest offering from LA.
Soccer and fandom. Jack Snape checks out the flamin’ experiences for supporters on different sides of the Pacific.
- This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
