27 Mar 2009

City with no nightlife leads to top football team

8:00 am on 27 March 2009

THe coach of the team leading Turkey's football championship says his side's success is due partly due to the lack of nightlife in conservative central Turkey.

Sivasspor coach Bulent Uygun says there is no nightlifie in Sivas.

He says there are also only a few shops where players can buy drinks and because he knows the owners of those shops he is informed whenever a player buys alcohol.

Sivasspor, from the city of Sivas in the icy Anatolian heartland, are top of the Turkish championship with 50 points, ahead of Istanbul's Besiktas on 49.

Sivasspor fans are starting to dream that the club could break Istanbul's 24-year stranglehold on the league title.