Turkish football team Harunustaspor announced Tuesday, Jan. 30, that it will pay a player partially in Bitcoin (BTC), local news outlet CNN Turk reports.
As chairman of the amateur club Haldun Şehit told CNN Turk, the move was completed to hire 22-year-old Omar Faruk for 2000 lira ($528) in BTC and 2500 lira ($661) in cash.
OFFICIAL: Turkish amateur side Harunustaspor have signed 22-year-old Omar Faruk in return for Bitcoin. ???? pic.twitter.com/zAt4LJrIVB
— SPORF (@Sporf) January 30, 2018
The move is likely a first in semi-professional sporting circles for player hiring. It follows a bigger move in December in which Bitcoin Suisse opted to pay Denmark club Rungsted Seier Capital’s top player exclusively in Bitcoin, as part of a three-year sponsorship deal.
Referring to the latest move in Turkey, Harunustaspor’s chairman stated:
“We did it to make a name for ourselves in the country and the world… We are proud of this.”
The news from Turkey marks the third announcement concerning the sporting world and Bitcoin since December. Earlier this month, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban noted on Twitter that next season fans would be able to purchase tickets with Bitcoin.
In related news, UK premier league club Arsenal announced it would shortly begin its own sponsorship deal with a US sports betting website’s forthcoming ICO.
At the same time, the regulatory situation surrounding cryptocurrency in both Turkey and Denmark remains precarious.
Late last year, the Turkish government suggested to citizens that use of cryptocurrency was “not suitable” for Muslims as the government could not exert sufficient control over its use.
In Copenhagen meanwhile, central bank chief Lars Rohde described Bitcoin as “deadly” and recommended citizens “stay away.”