In a playoff match full of high stakes, one player ended up fighting for a very different kind of win—one that came with feathers.
Let’s start at the beginning. As reported by The Guardian, in the 22nd minute of the Istanbul First Amateur League playoff final between Istanbul Yurdum Spor and Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar in Zeytinburnu, goalkeeper Muhammed Uyanik scooped up the ball with the league title hanging in the balance.
With no safe pass in sight, he did what goalkeepers have done for generations: booted it and hoped for the best—straight into the flight path of an unfortunately low-cruising seagull who may have misunderstood what “front row seats” meant. The ball connected mid-air, sending the bird spiraling like a feathered fighter jet before it smacked into the turf, stunning players and fans alike.
Play immediately became irrelevant.
In scenes that would have delighted even the most hardened executive at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Istanbul’s bearded captain Gani Catan ignored the chaos of the match and sprinted toward the downed gull. Then, in a moment that left players and spectators staring in disbelief, he dropped to his knees and began performing CPR.
You can watch the bird-saving moment below:
@straitstimes 👏 A Turkish footballer performed CPR on a seagull after it was struck by a ball during a match. Don't worry, the bird survived. #seagull #CPR #IstanbulYurdumSpor #GaniCatan #Turkey #football #soccer #StraitsTimes
As stunned players from both sides formed a tight circle, Catan pumped at the bird’s tiny chest with the focus of a medic in stoppage time. Seconds stretched uncomfortably long—but he didn’t stop. Then came the breakthrough: a flicker in the gull’s eyes and the faintest twitch of its webbed feet.
Catan told AFP days later:
“I acted on instinct, or maybe I once saw someone do this on a dog or a cat.”
The midfielder later revealed he had no formal medical training, just quick thinking and a refusal to quit. Somehow, that was enough. Moments after he began compressions, the gull started to respond.
He recalled the moment the gull showed signs of life:
“When I started the chest compressions, it began moving its legs. The more it moved, the more I kept going.”
After several tense moments, Catan gently placed the bird in the recovery position before carrying it to the touchline, where medical staff took over. The match eventually resumed, though the emotional whiplash lingered. Istanbul Yurdum Spor went on to lose the title-deciding clash in a penalty shootout.
Although his team fell short, Catan had no regrets:
“We missed out on the championship, but it’s a wonderful thing to have helped save a life… This was more important than the championship.”
By that evening, video of the mid-match rescue was ricocheting across social media. Catan said his phone began ringing nonstop as messages poured in from across Turkey and beyond.
Catan described the sudden attention:
“We'd lost the match, so I wasn't in a good mood. Then overnight, the messages started coming in. We were shocked by how fast it spread.”
His club quickly leaned into the moment, celebrating their captain’s compassion on Instagram.
Istanbul Yurdum Spor posted the following caption:
“Our captain Gani Catan brought the seagull back to life thanks to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) he performed on the field.”
You can view the team’s post here:
Within hours, viewers were dubbing Catan the “real MVP” of the match, with many insisting the rescue mattered far more than the final scoreline.
You can view the reactions below:
Catan, a 32-year-old accountant originally from the northern Turkish city of Tokat, has long balanced amateur football with everyday life. He lives with his two cats and, like many players in the league, competes for the love of the game rather than a paycheck.
Since the incident, he has received animal rights organization PETA’s “Hero to Animals” award. There has even been talk of Yurdum Spor adding a seagull to its club logo in tribute.
Early reports suggested the bird had survived but was unable to fly as it recovered from a damaged wing. The story, however, ended on a sad note. According to a commentator who witnessed the incident, the seagull later died from its injuries.
The playoff may not have delivered a championship for Yurdum Spor, but for one surreal pause in play, that seagull mattered more than any trophy.
