site.btaBulgarian Manager Stanimir Stoilov Presented with Turkish Football Federation’s Fair Play Award

The Board for Fair Play, Sportsmanship, and Social Responsibility of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced the first recipient of its 2025 Fair Play Award, based on evaluations from surveys and reports by match delegates, ilksesgazetesi.com reported on Friday. The award is given to promote, spread, and raise awareness about fair play. TFF’s official statement revealed that Göztepe Sports Club's head coach, Stanimir Stoilov, was deemed worthy of the Fair Play Prize for his gentlemanly conduct.

The press release reads that the Bulgarian coach, who played for Fenerbahçe during his football career and has been involved in Turkish football for many years, continues to set an example with his behaviour both on and off the pitch. Stoilov emphasized that debates over refereeing decisions in Turkish football should end and, after the match of his team against Galatasaray, commented on the importance of focusing on the on-field performance rather than on the referees.

On social media, Göztepe expressed pride in their manager's stance and thanked him for contributing to the promotion of the spirit of fair play.

Currently, Göztepe, which returned to the Süper Lig, the top-flight of Turkish football, in the summer of 2024, ranks 5th in the standings with 28 points, 5 points behind third-place Samsunspor.