Orkun Kokcu is one of the greatest talents of Turkish football and not only, as the footballer was born and raised in the Netherlands, where today he is considered one of the best young players in Europe.
The talented midfielder has been promoted to captain of the Dutch giants, but in the last game he refused the armband against AZ Alkmaar.
The 21-year-old refused to wear the captain’s armband because it featured the colors of the rainbow or the flag of the LGBTQ+ community.
Kokcu played as a starter and saw the captain’s armband, as after the match he explained the reasons why he did not accept the armband.
The Turkish representative has said that he respects everyone’s choices, but he has not put the ribbon on his arm because of his faith.
“I have decided not to wear the ribbon with the colors of the rainbow. It is important to emphasize that I respect everyone regardless of their choices in life, everyone is free to live as they wish. I also understand very well the message that sport wants to convey regarding the LGBTQ+ community, but because of my faith I don’t feel like the right person to carry the ribbon”, said Kokcu.
At the very end, Kokcu said that he hopes that people will understand his decision.
“I don’t feel comfortable and I understand that some people may be disappointed by my action, but that is absolutely not the intention. I know that many people may not believe my words, but I hope they understand that such a decision comes as a result of my faith and I think that something like this should be respected”, said Kokcu.
After this decision of Kokcu, the ribbon with the colors of the rainbow in the match against AZ Alkmaar was held by the Austrian player, Gernot Trauner.