Recep Uçar

Recep Uçar
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-09-22) 22 September 1975
Place of birth Üsküdar, Turkey
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Çaykur Rizespor (head coach)
Youth career
1985–1999 Ümraniyespor
1989–1992 Pendikspor
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1998 Pendikspor 101 (23)
1998–2006 İstanbul BB 164 (10)
2006–2007 Pendikspor 45 (2)
2007–2008 İstanbul BB 0 (0)
Total 310 (35)
Managerial career
2020–2023 Ümraniyespor
2023–2024 Kayserispor
2024–2025 Konyaspor
2025– Çaykur Rizespor
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Recep Uçar (born 22 September 1975) is a Turkish football manager and former professional defender who is the current head coach of Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor. After a playing career that included spells with Ümraniyespor, Pendikspor and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, he transitioned into coaching in 2009 with İstanbul Başakşehir, initially serving as chief scout and later as an assistant manager.

Uçar began his senior managerial career with Ümraniyespor in 2020, leading the club to its first promotion to the Süper Lig. He later managed Kayserispor and Konyaspor before taking charge of Çaykur Rizespor in December 2025.

Playing career

Uçar began playing football at the age of 10 with Ümraniyespor, before moving to Pendikspor at age 14. He started his senior career with Pendikspor in the TFF Second League, playing there for four seasons. During this period, he also pursued higher education, graduating with a degree in English Language and Literature.

In 1998, Uçar transferred to İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, a club then competing in the lower divisions of Turkish football. He quickly became a regular starter and later captained the side during their rise through the league system. Known for his discipline and tactical intelligence as a defender, Uçar played a pivotal role instabilizing the backline throughout his time at the club.

He returned to Pendikspor in 2006 for the final chapter of his playing career and retired in 2008 at the age of 31. In total, Uçar amassed over 300 professional appearances across all competitions during his career, playing primarily as a centre-back and right-back.[1]

Managerial career

Assistant coaching career

From 2013 to 2019, Uçar served as an assistant coach at İstanbul Başakşehir under manager Abdullah Avcı.[2] During this six-year period, he was a key member of Avcı's technical staff as the club established itself as a title contender in the Süper Lig.[3] Uçar described Avcı as a "role model" for his own coaching philosophy, citing Avcı's democratic approach and attention to detail.[4][5][6] Following their tenure at Başakşehir, Uçar accompanied Avcı to Beşiktaş in 2019, continuing their collaboration as an assistant coach before eventually pursuing his own managerial career.[7]

Ümraniyespor

On 25 October 2020, Uçar was appointed as the head coach of Ümraniyespor, marking his first managerial role after serving as an assistant under Abdullah Avcı for several years.[8] In the 2021–22 season, he led the club to a second-place finish, securing their first-ever promotion to the Süper Lig in the club's history.[9] Uçar parted ways with Ümraniyespor by mutual consent on 19 April 2023, with the team struggling in the relegation zone of the Süper Lig.[10]

Kayserispor

Uçar was named the head coach of Kayserispor on 10 September 2023.[11] Under his management, the team enjoyed a strong start to the 2023–24 Süper Lig season, climbing to third place in the standings after the first 12 weeks. However, following a series of poor results and a transfer ban affecting the squad depth, he left the club on 26 January 2024.[12]

Konyaspor

On 1 November 2024, Uçar was appointed as the head coach of Konyaspor, taking over during the 11th week of the 2024–25 Süper Lig season.[13] During his first season, he led the team to an 11th-place finish in the league with 46 points and guided them to the semi-finals of the Turkish Cup.[14] In the following 2025–26 season, Konyaspor experienced a difficult run of form. On 3 November 2025, the club announced that they had mutually parted ways with Uçar following a 3–1 home defeat to Samsunspor.[15] At the time of his departure, the team was in 8th place in the standings. Throughout his tenure at Konyaspor, Uçar managed the team in 37 league matches, recording 14 wins, 7 draws, and 16 losses.[14]

Çaykur Rizespor

On 3 December 2025, Çaykur Rizespor officially announced the appointment of Recep Uçar as their new head coach, signing him to a 1.5-year contract.[16] He replaced İlhan Palut, who had resigned from the position earlier that week. During the signing ceremony, club president İbrahim Turgut expressed confidence in Uçar's ability to improve the team's standing in the league.[17]

Managerial statistics

As of 14 March 2026
Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Ümraniyespor 28 October 2020 19 April 2023[18] 97 42 22 33 043.30
Kayserispor 10 September 2023 27 January 2024[19] 21 9 2 10 042.86
Konyaspor 31 October 2024 4 November 2025[20] 45 20 8 17 044.44
Çaykur Rizespor 3 December 2025 Present[21] 13 4 4 5 030.77
Total 176 75 36 65 042.61

References

  1. ^ "Recep Uçar futbolculuk kariyerini anlatıyor" (in Turkish). Milliyet. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Recep Uçar - Teknik Adamlar Bilgi Detayı". tff.org. Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  3. ^ Özdemir, Ömer (3 November 2021). "Recep Uçar, Ümraniyespor'daki başarısıyla alkış topluyor". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Çırak, ustayı 2. kez yıktı!". Fanatik (in Turkish). 5 December 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Recep Uçar: Trabzonspor, Başakşehir ve Ümraniyespor'un ligleri domine etmesi tesadüf değil". Anadolu Ajansı (in Turkish). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Yorum: Abdullah Avcı okulu – Okan Buruk, Erol Bulut ve Recep Uçar". Goal Türkiye (in Turkish). 2 June 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Abdullah Avcı'nın yanından ayrıldılar, Türk futboluna damga vuruyorlar!". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 20 September 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Ümraniyespor'da Recep Uçar dönemi sona erdi" (in Turkish). Anadolu Agency. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Recep Uçar: 'Lig tarihinin en zorlu sezonunda şampiyon olduk'" (in Turkish). Haber Vesaire. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Ümraniyespor'da Recep Uçar dönemi sona erdi" (in Turkish). Anadolu Agency. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Recep Uçar'dan Kayserispor'a veda!" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Kayserispor'da Recep Uçar dönemi sona erdi" (in Turkish). Anadolu Agency. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Konyaspor'da Recep Uçar dönemi sona erdi!". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 3 November 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Konyaspor, teknik direktör Recep Uçar ile yolların ayrıldığını açıkladı". Hürriyet. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Recep Uçar and Konyaspor have parted ways". Haberler.com. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Çaykur Rizespor'da Recep Uçar dönemi başladı". Anadolu Agency. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Çaykur Rizespor'da Recep Uçar için imza töreni düzenlendi". Olay53. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Recep Uçar: Teknik Adamlar Bilgi Detayı" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Kayserispor'da Teknik Direktör Recep Uçar'ın İstatistikleri" (in Turkish). Haberler.com. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Konyaspor'da Recep Uçar dönemi, iç saha yenilgileriyle sona erdi: İşte istatistikler" (in Turkish). T24. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Rizespor teknik direktörü Recep Uçar'dan Galatasaray sözleri" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
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