FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter has praised Hasan Dogan's contribution to football in a heartfelt letter after learning of his sudden death on Saturday.
The president of the Turkey FA suffered a heart attack during a lunchtime meeting with national team coach Fatih Terim and TFF board member Levent Kazil in Mugla and later died in hospital. He was 52.
His death came just over a week after Turkey's run to the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2008 and has left the FIFA President shocked and saddened by the news. However, Blatter believes that Dogan's legacy to the game of football will live on.
He wrote: "We will remember his vast experience and know-how, his determination to develop the game as well as his unique personality. Being a thorough idealist Hasan Dogan managed to position not only Turkish club football but also the Turkish national team on an international level in only a few months at the helm of the TFF.
"We will retain fond memories of an accomplished leader and an extraordinary man whose great human qualities ensured that he left an indelible mark on the game of football, not only in helping to develop football in Turkey but also around the world.".
Dogan was elected to the presidency of the TFF in February having previously worked as vice-president between 2004 and 2006. Flags at the home of FIFA in Zurich will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Source:Fifa
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