The tale begins back in May 2013, following Turkey’s loss against Holland in their final 2014 World Cup qualifier. Toprak, a friend and Calhanoglu were at the national team hotel before their flight back to Germany the following morning.
Nothing unexpected in that but what happened next – whichever version of events you believe – is staggering. Gokhan Tore, a former Chelsea youngster who now plays for Besiktas, had allegedly been stewing over a reported affair between his former girlfriend and Toprak’s friend. He was determined to get even – even if his team-mates were in the way.
Accompanied by a sidekick whose identity remains unknown, Tore is alleged to have gained access to Toprak and Calhanoglu’s room after the pair had returned there. “Then the real story began,” Calhanoglu explained in an interview with the German TV channel ZDF. “Gokhan’s friend walked over to Omer, pulled out a gun from his jacket and told him he would be shot if he didn’t lay flat on the floor.
“I was hit and then I was lying in a corner. He then came up to me and said: ‘Don’t move or I will shoot you. I was curled up in the corner of the room, I couldn’t move, I was scared for my life.”
The incident, which died down in circumstances that are not entirely clear, was quickly covered up. “After this happened, we didn’t want to end Gokhan’s career so we kept quiet,” Calhanoglu said.
The story remained largely forgotten until October’s match against Czech Republic, when Terim decided to recall Tore after a year’s absence from the setup. Terim also invited Calhanoglu and Toprak but Leverkusen declared their players ineligible due to injury. This was interpreted in
Turkey as a convenient way for the club to keep two of their most valuable players from being in the vicinity of their one-time international team-mate, especially considering both started in the Bundesliga straight after the international break.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...rkey-gokhan-tore-omer-toprak-hakan-calhanoglu
The same Gokhan Tore who now plays for West Ham.
