ISTANBUL

Turkish football club Galatasaray on Friday said their manager Okan Buruk underwent an emergency appendectomy.

The 51-year-old experienced sudden abdominal pain earlier this afternoon. After a diagnosis, doctors confirmed a burst appendix, prompting urgent surgery.

"Our Football A Team manager Okan Buruk underwent a successful surgery for appendicitis that developed suddenly at noon today,” the Turkish side said in a statement, and wished him a quick recovery.

Galatasaray appointed their ex-player Buruk as head coach in June 2022.

As a midfielder, he won seven Turkish Super Lig championships, five Turkish Cups, and a Turkish Super Cup as well.

He also played for Italy's Inter Milan, Türkiye's Besiktas, and Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor, which was renamed Istanbul Basaksehir in 2014, and retired in 2010.