Ayhan Tuna Üzümcü

Ayhan Tuna Üzümcü — Biography

Ayhan Tuna Üzümcü was born on 6 August 1982 in İzmir. As a player he operated as a centre-back and left-back. He came up at Altay and moved to Gençlerbirliği in 2005, then to Beşiktaş for 2008-09 without a transfer fee being paid. He was regarded as a solid centre-back, strong in the air and rarely at fault in matches. He was sent to Bursaspor midway through a season, stayed there for a year and a half, then went to Antalyaspor. Finding few chances there, he joined 1. Lig side Adanaspor in the summer of 2011-12, moved to Denizlispor in 2015-16 and ended his playing days at Tuzlaspor in 2018.

He then took on technical and administrative roles. In January 2022 he was appointed sporting director of Altay, the club of his home city; in 2023 he served as head coach and resigned in September 2023, saying "the mistake is mine, and so is the responsibility". In February 2025 he was reported to have left Bucaspor 1928, and in July 2025 to have left his post at Altay.

In August 2026 he returned to Altay: the black-and-whites held their first training of the new season under Tuna Üzümcü, who made statements about the squad and the support the club needs, and called on supporters for patience and unity.