Rifaat Turk
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 September 1954 | ||
| 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), Israeli Arab 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.
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
- Israeli Championships (1):
- 1980–81
Political career
Turk is a member of Meretz and was elected to the Tel Aviv 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
- ↑ Gutman, Matthew (11 March 2003). "Rifat Turk named Tel Aviv's first Arab deputy mayor". Jerusalem Post.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rifat Turk: Scoring for Arab Israelis World Press Review, June 2003
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 60 Sporting Heroes: No. 28 Rifat "Jimmy" Turk The Jerusalem Post, 7 April 2008
- ↑ "England and Israel join for anti-racism football campaign". European Jewish Press. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
External links
| ||||||||
