Rifaat Turk

Rifaat Turk
Personal information
Date of birth 16 September 1954 (1954-09-16) (age 57)
Place of birth Jaffa, Israel
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1970–1972 Hapoel Tel Aviv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1972–1984 Hapoel Tel Aviv
1983 Hapoel Ramat Gan (loan)
1984–1986 Hapoel Jerusalem
National team
1976–1986 Israel 34 (3)
Teams managed
1997 Hapoel Tayibe
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Rifaat "Jimmy" Turk (Arabic: رفعت ترك‎; Hebrew: רפעת טורק‎, born 16 September 1954), Arab-Israeli former football player and manager and a former deputy mayor of Tel Aviv.[1] Turk was the first Arab to play for the Israel national team and to represent the country at the Olympic Games.

Contents

Biography

Football career

Born in Jaffa, Turk was the son of a fisherman and dropped out of school during the eighth grade.[2] After being spotted by a scout in 1970 at the age of 16, he joined Hapoel Tel Aviv's youth team, and made his debut for the club in 1972.

The following year he made his debut for the Israel national team, and also became the first Arab to represent Israel at the Olympic games when he played in the football tournament of the 1976 Summer Olympics.[3] Turk was subjected to anti-Arab abuse during nearly every game he played.[4] In 1980 he was named Israel's player of the year.[2]

After leaving Hapoel Tel Aviv in 1984, Turk signed for Hapoel Jerusalem. He retired from playing in 1987,[2] and went on to manage several clubs, including Hapoel Tayibe, the first Arab club to play in the top division.

Honours

In 2005, he was voted the 113th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.[5]

Political career

Turk is a member of Meretz-Yachad and was elected to the city council in 1998.[2] In 2003 he was elected the city's deputy mayor.[3]

Personal life

Turk's son Hanes is part of Hapoel Tel Aviv's youth system.

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b c d Rifat Turk: Scoring for Arab Israelis World Press Review, June 2003
  3. ^ a b 60 Sporting Heroes: No. 28 Rifat "Jimmy" Turk The Jerusalem Post, 7 April 2008
  4. ^ "England and Israel join for anti-racism football campaign". European Jewish Press. 7 March 2006. http://www.ejpress.org/article/in_depth/world_cup/6624. Retrieved 5 August 2008. 
  5. ^ גיא בניוביץ' (20 June 1995). "הישראלי מספר 1: יצחק רבין – תרבות ובידור". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3083171,00.html. Retrieved 10 July 2011. 

External links