Süleyman Seba, who served Beşiktaş as a football player, manager and president and became one of the legendary names of the community with his achievements, is commemorated on the 8th anniversary of his death.
Süleyman Seba, who died on August 13, 2014 after his illness, was born on April 5, 1926, in the Hendek district of Sakarya. Seba, who attended primary school in Sakarya and then transferred to Kabataş High School for high school education, continued his education at Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Letters, Department of French Philology at his father’s request.
Black and white love made him drop out of school
Seba, who came to Istanbul at a very young age and joined the team of Kabataş High School, took his first step into his life full of football.
Attracting the attention of Beşiktaş managers with his talents, the young football player started to take part in the youth team of the black and white team in 1943. Continuing to play well in Beşiktaş, Süleyman Seba contributed greatly to the championship of the youth team that year, and with this performance, he rose to the rank of team captain in a short time.
The legendary president, who entered the Beşiktaş youth team in his first years in high school, was promoted to the A team he dreamed of during the Refik Osman Top period in 1945 and took part in the squad that won 4 Istanbul League championships in 5 years in the 1950s.
Seba played his first Istanbul League match in the 1946-47 season in the Fenerbahçe derby and scored a goal in the match where his team was defeated 4-3. Seba, who scored 6 goals in 9 matches in his first season, achieved the first important success of his career by winning the championship in the National Division.
Süleyman Seba, who scored 8 goals in 14 matches in the Istanbul League in the 1947-48 season, drew attention as the second top scorer of his team. The legendary name, who won the first Istanbul League championship of his career in the 1949-50 season, played in all 14 matches and scored a goal.
After the Beşiktaş Football Team was invited to the USA in 1950, Seba left school and went to this country for a month with the black-and-white team, which he loved so much, at the expense of upsetting his father.
Injury took him out of football early
In the organization organized under the name of Istanbul Professional League since 1950-51, Seba could only play in 3 matches in the 1951-1952 season due to his injury. Süleyman Seba, who played in 9 games in 1952-1953 and scored 2 goals, had to quit football in 1954 at the age of 28 due to a meniscus injury.
Working in the right open position, Seba made the black-and-white jersey sweat for 10 seasons at the A team level.
The legendary name, who scored 44 goals in 184 matches in his career in the black and white team, also wore the Ümit National Team uniform once.
Seba scored the first goal in İnönü Stadium
Süleyman Seba became the name that went down in history as the football player who scored the first goal in the old İnönü Stadium, where Beşiktaş played their home matches.
In the opening match of Beşiktaş’s Swedish representative, AIK, at İnönü Stadium, which was put into service in 1947 and demolished in 2013 for the construction of a new stadium, Seba took the title of the first player to score a goal in this field.
He always lived the black and white love
Süleyman Seba, who had to quit football at a young age due to his injury, became a member of Beşiktaş Club in 1957 and took part in the board of directors for the first time in 1963, 6 years later.
Seba was a member of the board of directors, first in the lists created by Selahattin Akel in 1963, then Hakkı Yeten in 1964, Talat Asal in 1968, Agasi Şen in 1970 and Gazi Akınal in 1977.
Became the legendary president of the club
Seba took over the management from Mehmet Üstünkaya on April 1, 1984 in a very difficult period and managed to become one of the legendary names of the club with the successes he gained during his presidency.
During the period of Süleyman Seba, Beşiktaş Football Team experienced its golden period and showed the success of winning many trophies.
While Beşiktaş competed successfully with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe under the chairmanship of Süleyman Seba, it also gained many facilities.
The black-and-white team, who did their training on the mud-covered field, acquired Fulya Facilities during the Seba period, who later became the “honorary president”. The club, which moved to its modern building in Akaretler, gained the BJK Nevzat Demir Facilities, where the football A team would do their training and camps, again during the Seba period.
President for 16 years
Seba also broke a record by being the chairman of Beşiktaş for 16 years.
The legend of the black-and-white club, which has consistently outdone its rivals in 8 congresses during his presidency, left his post in 2000 after an emotional speech.
Süleyman Seba went down in Beşiktaş’s history as the person who held this position for the longest period of time by serving as the chairman for 16 years without interruption. The black and white team, which could not achieve stability in management until 1984, achieved long-term stability with the legendary name.
He became legendary with his jacket
Seba, who always prevailed over his rivals in the congresses held at the club, helped to establish the phrase “Even if he nominates his jacket, he will become the president”.
After leaving the presidency, Seba could not stay away from the attention of the fans and members.
Celebrating its 119th anniversary, the name of Süleyman Seba has always come together with Beşiktaş in the 71-year period of the club.
Süleyman Seba, who also went down in history as the honorary president of the club, lived a quiet life in his modest house in Beşiktaş Akaretler, again close to his club. Seba had the opportunity to live the love of Beşiktaş by frequently meeting with black and white people at her home.
Black-and-white fans also showed that they did not forget their legendary president, with frequent cheers in favor of Süleyman Seba from the stands.
bad left
Seba, who provided great services to the black and white club, announced that he would not be a candidate in the congress in March 2000, after the reaction of the tribune and the opposition after the bad results of the football team in the 1999-2000 season.
Seba bid farewell to the congress members with an emotional speech at the congress. “I lived with people, I learned about people. I lived with people, I learned about humanity. I lived with people, I saw ingratitude from people. ‘My friends, my friends… But I am very afraid of my friends.’ It is impossible not to give the right to thinkers who say that!” Seba, who made bitter words like this, ended his long-term presidency.
Members attending the congress unanimously decided that Süleyman Seba should be the second honorary president after Hakkı Yeten, another important name in the history of the club.
While the street where the clubhouse in Akaretler is located was named Süleyman Seba, Beşiktaş Municipality also had the statue of the legendary president built in Vişnezade Park on this street.
The sports hall in Dikilitaş, where Beşiktaş Handball Team plays its home games, was also named after Seba.
After the legendary name, Serdar Bilgili was elected as the new president of the club.
22 trophies were celebrated under the presidency of Seba
Having earned the respect of the sports community with his humble personality, Süleyman Seba has established a throne in the hearts of the fans with the many trophies he won as well as the facilities he brought to the club.
Beşiktaş won the league championship five times and the President’s Cup under the presidency of Seba, and took the Turkish Cup to its museum 4 times. Under the presidency of Seba, the black-and-white team also carried a total of 22 trophies, including 2 Prime Minister’s Cups and 6 Turkish Sports Writers’ Association (TSYD) Cups.
3 championships in a row
Beşiktaş managed to become the champion 3 times in a row during the period of its legendary president.
The black and white team, which achieved successful results with the team composed of players such as Metin Tekin, Ali Gültiken, Feyyaz Uçar, Rıza Çalımbay and Mehmet Özdilek, achieved one of the most important achievements in its history by reaching the championship 3 times in a row.
Beşiktaş achieved the most important success in its history by reaching the championship in the seasons of 1989-1990, 1990-1991 and 1991-1992, when Süleyman Seba was the chairman.
The undefeated championship also came during his reign
Having the title of the only undefeated champion team in the history of the Super League, Beşiktaş achieved this success during the period of Süleyman Seba.
Beşiktaş reached the championship with successful results against its rivals in 30 matches in the 1991-1992 season. The black and white team, which won 7 draws with 23 wins and never left the field with their necks down, achieved another historical success under the management of Seba.
Thousands of fans joined his final journey
Seba, who passed away on August 13, 2014, was bid farewell to his last journey with a funeral held at Vodafone Park, which was built instead of BJK İnönü Stadium, where he scored his first goal. Thousands of black and white fans, as well as many names from the sports community, attended the funeral ceremony held at the stadium under construction.
The body of the legendary president was buried in the Feriköy Cemetery after the funeral prayer at the Bezmialem Valide Sultan Mosque, located across the stadium in Dolmabahçe.