Sociologist Prof. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, who sociologically evaluated the commemorative discourse that emerged after the passing of technical director Mircea Lucescu, who made significant contributions to Turkish football, stated that this process was not merely a wave of condolences, but rather made the concept of loyalty visible again in social memory.
Prof. Süleymanlı expressed that modern life weakens the feeling of loyalty, but this value still finds a strong social resonance, adding, “The social commemoration practice shaped around Mircea Lucescu’s passing reveals that loyalty is still a vibrant cultural and moral resource in Turkish society.”
Prof. Ebulfez Süleymanlı from Üsküdar University's Sociology Department sociologically evaluated the commemorative discourse that emerged after the passing of technical director Mircea Lucescu, who made significant contributions to Turkish football.
A remarkable commemorative and loyalty discourse emerged
Prof. Ebulfez Süleymanlı stated that the passing of Mircea Lucescu, who made significant contributions to Turkish football and achieved remarkable success in various countries where he worked, resonated widely in both conventional media and digital platforms; and that a remarkable commemorative and loyalty discourse emerged during this process, adding, “The participation in this commemorative practice by numerous individuals and fans who knew him closely, as well as those who did not know him directly but valued his place in sports history and the impact he left, indicates that this reaction went beyond a mere expression of condolence and touched upon a broader domain of social values.”
Loyalty, a part of social memory
Stating that loyalty is not limited to mere fidelity or gratitude, Prof. Süleymanlı said, “In a broader sense, loyalty is the moral recognition of a past relationship, effort, and impact without being subject to obsolescence. In this respect, loyalty is a form of social sensitivity located between remembrance and responsibility. Therefore, it is the product not only of individual conscience but also of social memory and cultural transmission.”
Loyalty, a sociological phenomenon as much as a psychological one
Prof. Süleymanlı noted that Prof. Nevzat Tarhan’s observation, “Loyalty, rather than being an innate feeling in humans, is a sentiment acquired through social learning,” is illustrative at this point, adding, “Indeed, loyalty is a sensitivity learned within the processes of family, friendship, education, and cultural interaction. Humans learn from their social environment how to remain committed to whom, and in what language to commemorate whose efforts. Therefore, loyalty is a sociological phenomenon as much as it is a psychological one.”
A strong value in Turkish culture
Stating that loyalty holds a historically strong place in Turkish culture, Prof. Süleymanlı continued as follows:
“In the Turkish cultural universe, especially in the value system of the Oghuz Turks, loyalty has historically been a strong moral reference. Fidelity to promises, maintaining friendships, not forgetting efforts, and a sense of gratitude towards those who have contributed in the past have been among the founding elements of social relationships. In this context, loyalty is not merely an individual virtue; it is also an indicator of belonging, integrity of character, and social trust. Conversely, disloyalty is perceived not just as forgetfulness, but also as relational breakdown and moral weakening.”
Commemorative language emphasizes impact more than success
Drawing attention to the commemorative language that emerged after Lucescu, Prof. Süleymanlı said, “The commemorative language developed around Lucescu gains meaning within this framework. His remembrance not only through his sporting achievements but also through the people he trained, the mark he left, and the personality he represented, shows that loyalty operates more through effort, impact, and memory than performance. Social memory keeps certain figures alive not just because of the successes they achieved, but thanks to the connection established between success and character.”
Modern life weakens loyalty
Expressing that loyalty struggles to maintain its former strength today, Prof. Süleymanlı said, “It is difficult to say that loyalty persists with the same strength in contemporary society. Modernization, individualism, the accelerating pace of daily life, and increasingly short-term relationships weaken the social weight of values that span time, such as loyalty. The concept of alienation is important for understanding this change. Alienation means that a person becomes estranged not only from their environment but also from their own human essence, values, and emotional depth. In such a context, relationships begin to be established through utility and transience, rather than through loyalty and remembrance. This narrows the scope of loyalty.”
Pointing out that utilitarian forms of relationships are also effective in this process, Prof. Süleymanlı stated, “As human relationships are evaluated based on strategic interest, advantage, and visible outcomes, values that foster long-term social trust, such as loyalty, are pushed into the background. Yet, loyalty is a fundamental value that does not yield immediate results but preserves relational continuity and moral depth.”
Loyalty progresses in two ways in the digital age
Stating that social media both makes the concept of loyalty visible and carries the risk of superficializing it, Prof. Süleymanlı noted the following: “Digitalization has made this picture more complex. Social media, on one hand, makes collective memory visible by popularizing the culture of remembrance; on the other hand, it creates a space where emotions rapidly circulate and are consumed with the same speed. Therefore, in the digital age, loyalty has acquired the characteristic of a practice that is both expanding and at risk of becoming superficial. The situation that emerged after Lucescu’s passing reflects this dual structure: sincere remembrance and gratitude on one side, and emotional responses standardized by the effect of public visibility on the other.”
Loyalty is still a strong social value
Emphasizing that loyalty maintains its social legitimacy despite all these transformations, Prof. Ebulfez Süleymanlı said, “Despite this, the truly remarkable point is that loyalty is still a value with high social legitimacy. Even today, when people praise someone, they emphasize not only their success but also that they have left a mark, made a contribution, and are unforgettable. This situation shows that loyalty continues to be a moral reference in contemporary society. In this framework, loyalty should be instilled in younger generations not merely as a virtue to be reminded of through advice, but as a fundamental value that preserves the continuity of social relationships, sensitivity towards effort, and human depth. Because in a contemporary social environment shaped by speed, utility, and visibility, raising young people with a sense of loyalty will contribute not only to strengthening individual character but also to the culture of social solidarity.”
Loyalty is still alive in Turkish society
Prof. Süleymanlı, pointing to the commemorative practice that emerged after Lucescu, concluded his words by saying, “The social commemoration practice shaped around Mircea Lucescu’s passing reveals that loyalty is still a vibrant cultural and moral resource in Turkish society. However, this value no longer exists within the spontaneity of traditional social ties; it continues its existence by being redefined under the pressure of modernization, digitalization, alienation, and instrumental reason. Therefore, the example of Lucescu should be regarded not merely as kind words spoken after a sports figure, but as a significant sociological opportunity for understanding the transformation of loyalty in contemporary society.”