Hakan Sünal's name has been increasingly associated with scandalous claims in the "Sumgayit" community recently. According to Sport24.az, the contract of the director of the "Sumgayit" Football Academy expires at the end of the season.
However, it seems that the Turkish functionary prefers pressure tactics over a professional approach to maintain his position.
The club management has not yet offered him a new contract, which seriously worries Sünal. Interestingly, instead of highlighting his activities, the academy's development, or future plans as a way out of the situation, he resorts to a completely different method.
It is alleged that Sünal, who reportedly said to his close circle, "I have voice recordings of the club management," later stated, "If I am not given a new contract, I will release those materials and turn the world upside down." If these claims are true, it is no longer just ordinary dissatisfaction, but an outright attempt at pressure and blackmail.
Achieving results in football, demonstrating management skills, and gaining trust are entirely different matters. Someone having some material in hand and trying to use it for personal gain does not fit into ethical frameworks, especially when it comes to the academy of a professional club. Because the academy is where the footballers of the future are formed, and the people working here must be role models first and foremost.
The most striking point is that Sünal's alleged behavior shows how far he can go to protect his job. If a person tries to use compromising material, voice recordings, or threats to stay in office, it is no longer management, but an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear. Such an approach does not fit any healthy football model.
It is currently unknown what these voice recordings contain. Perhaps there is nothing serious at all. But if there is such a language of threat, it is a very thought-provoking issue in itself. Because in a professional football environment, the main weapon should be the work done, the footballers raised, and the trust gained. Not the language of blackmail.