-Rustu Recber-

Rustu Remains Loyal To His Fans:

Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber has kept his word and confirmed that he would stay for another season at Fenerbahce, despite interest from a host of glamour clubs in the wake of his memorable performances at World Cup 2002. Recber told reporters

"Before the World Cup, I told the fans that I would still be at Fenerbahce next season," before adding: "Manchester United and teams of similar stature have made offers, but the fact remains that I made a promise to the fans. Maybe I'll live to regret the decision, but life goes on."

Turkey were one of the big hits of this summer's World Cup tournament reaching the heady heights of the semi-finals, before their majestic run was finally ended by eventual winners Brazil. Senol Gunes's side at least had the consolation of finishing third after they defeated hosts the Korean Republic in the bronze medal match.

The Fenerbahce goalkeeper was pivotal to the team's success, keeping three clean sheets and producing a number of high-class saves that caught the eye. "With Rustu as our keeper, we have no worries even if we make mistakes," proclaimed defender Fatih Akyel.

He was also the cornerstone to Fenerbahce's title success in 2001, which had Manchester United and Aston Villa queuing up to sign him. He has resisted any temptation to move abroad though: "Fenerbahce have turned me into one of the best goalkeepers in Turkey. I owe a lot to this club, so I will stay for another year," he declared.

Nevertheless, his time at Sukru Saracoglu has not been without adversity. He was beaten up by his own fans after Fenerbahce lost a Cup match to amateur team Pendikspor in December 1999!

Although in dismissing any notion of a move this summer Recber has acknowledged that a time may come when he has to try his luck abroad. In this day of age where the Bosman ruling has changed the way transfers are conducted in football Recber will be available for no fee when his contract expires in a year's time:

"We will see what happens. Maybe then it will be time to move on," he said.