Vedat Okyar was a Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 international footballer who later became a sports journalist.

Early life

Vedat Okyar was born in Bursa circa 1945. He played amateur football for Yücespor and Adaletspor

Alibeyköyspor

Alibeyköy S.K. is a Turkish sports club based in Alibeyköy quarter of Eyüp, Istanbul. It was founded in 1950 as Adaletspor with red-white colours. It changed its name as Alibeyköy Adalet in 1971 and as Alibeyköyspor in 1980. They played in Second League between 1980-1985...

 before becoming a professional in 1965.

Football career

Okyar played professionally as a midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 for Bursaspor

Bursaspor

Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...

, Beşiktaş

Besiktas J.K.

Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...

, Diyarbakırspor

Diyarbakirspor

Diyarbakırspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Diyarbakır. Formed in 1968, Diyarbakırspor are nicknamed Diyar...

 and Karagümrük

Fatih Karagümrük

Fatih Karagümrük is a football club in Turkey. The side currently plays in the TFF Third League, having been relegated in the 2007–2008 season....

. He was club captain of Beşiktaş between 1975 and 1976, and he also earned thirty-three caps for the Turkish national side

Turkey national football team

The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

.

Journalism career

After retiring as a professional footballer, Okyar became a sports journalist.

Sources

• Obituary - Today's Zaman Obituary - CNN Turkey