Turkey, who play Kazakhstan on Sunday, are bottom of Euro 2016 qualifying Group A but that is perhaps not a surprise considering the turmoil the squad has found itself in since an extraordinary incident last year • Turkey 0-4 Brazil

There were few surprises in Turkey’s 4-0 defeat to Brazil on Wednesday night – not even the fact that Fatih Terim’s troubled side could be so easily beaten at home by a team that has had plenty of issues. Supporters’ frustrations were crystallised in a picture, circulated on social media after the game, of a fan holding up a national team shirt bearing the name of the outstanding Bayer Leverkusen schemer, Hakan Calhanoglu, who – like his club-mate Omer Toprak – had not been called up for the game. It was an image that told a thousand words, and chief among them was an astounding story that has rocked the Turkish squad to the core.

The reason for the two players’ exclusion makes even the most outlandish Hollywood plot seem plausible. The tale begins back in May 2013, following Turkey’s loss against Holland in their final 2014 World Cup qualifier. Toprak, a friend and Calhanoglu were at the national team hotel before their flight back to Germany the following morning.

Nothing unexpected in that but what happened next – whichever version of events you believe – is staggering. Gokhan Tore, a former Chelsea youngster who now plays for Besiktas, had allegedly been stewing over a reported affair between his former girlfriend and Toprak’s friend. He was determined to get even – even if his team-mates were in the way.

Accompanied by a sidekick whose identity remains unknown, Tore is alleged to have gained access to Toprak and Calhanoglu’s room after the pair had returned there. “Then the real story began,” Calhanoglu explained in an interview with the German TV channel ZDF. “Gokhan’s friend walked over to Omer, pulled out a gun from his jacket and told him he would be shot if he didn’t lay flat on the floor.

“I was hit and then I was lying in a corner. He then came up to me and said: ‘Don’t move or I will shoot you. I was curled up in the corner of the room, I couldn’t move, I was scared for my life.”

The incident, which died down in circumstances that are not entirely clear, was quickly covered up. “After this happened, we didn’t want to end Gokhan’s career so we kept quiet,” Calhanoglu said.

The story remained largely forgotten until October’s match against Czech Republic, when Terim decided to recall Tore after a year’s absence from the setup. Terim also invited Calhanoglu and Toprak but Leverkusen declared their players ineligible due to injury. This was interpreted in Turkey as a convenient way for the club to keep two of their most valuable players from being in the vicinity of their one-time international team-mate, especially considering both started in the Bundesliga straight after the international break.

The Emperor, as Terim is also known, justified himself prior to the Czech Republic game by saying: “If we got rid of everyone who made a mistake we wouldn’t be able to pick a team. Gokhan made a mistake, should we just get rid of him? If it is a crime to stick up for a 21-year-old kid then I am guilty.”

Terim’s attempt to paint Tore as the victim in this saga caused plenty of heads to be scratched. Turkey ended up losing against Czech Republic and drawing with Latvia, leaving their Euro 2016 hopes in the balance at an early stage.

The final twist – and some would say indignation – came before the Brazil game, which will be followed by a European Championship qualifier with Kazakhstan on Sunday (7.45pm kick-off), when Terim decided to drop Calhanoglu and Toprak while calling up Tore.

“I am fit, I am in form, I cannot understand why I was not picked,” Calhanoglu was quoted as saying in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Fanatik. Reporters were equally dismayed but when asked this time to account for his actions, Terim calmly responded: “You all have the right to criticise and voice your opinion but I make the decisions.”

The consequences could be far-reaching. Tore, aged 22, is no doubt an impressive talent and is in the best form of his career but Calhanoglu is one of the hottest prospects in European football – in fact he is currently on the shortlist for this year’s Golden Boy award. A first-team player for one of the Bundesliga’s strongest sides at 20, and named the league’s best youngster last season, Calhanoglu signed from Hamburg for £12.8m in the summer and already has five goals and six assists this term.

Terim’s decisions could end up tarnishing Turkey’s long-term relations with one of Europe’s biggest future stars, with there appearing to be a pressing need to resolve the situation in an amicable fashion. Had he sided with the Leverkusen pair, he would probably have saved himself much criticism.

There is also a concern that, if Terim loses Toprak and Calhanoglu over this matter, he could have a hard time convincing the next generation of players born outside of the country to play for Turkey. Tore, Calhanoglu and Toprak were all born in Germany and it is an increasingly vital area to tap into. The national team’s youth sides all have up-and-coming players from foreign shores: there is a Turkish population estimated at around five to six million in western Europe.

Turkey are in desperate need of a win against Kazakhstan. Another loss here would make even a third-place finish in Group A seem a near-impossible dream after gaining just one point from three games. The team could really have done with Calhanoglu’s set-piece expertise – he has scored 14 direct free-kick goals in just over two seasons – and with their most experienced defender, Toprak. The impression is that Terim, in backing the wrong man, has cut off his nose to spite his face.

Suffice to say Terim will have a lot of explaining to do if Turkey fail to record a convincing victory over Kazakhstan. If he does not find a resolution, the Emperor could end up being remembered as the Mad King.

Emre Sarigul is a co-founder of turkish-football.com. Follow him here on Twitter.