GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — More than seven years after his last game for Scotland, defender David Bates was called up Wednesday after impressing playing for a club in the Kurdish-majority region of Turkey.
The 30-year-old Bates has started each game for title challenger Amedspor in its first season in Turkey’s top division.
Amedspor, from the city of Diyarbakir about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian border, had a chance last weekend to go top of the Super League but lost 4-3 at leader Galatasaray.
The Scottish soccer federation said Bates is in the squad for Nations League games at home to North Macedonia on Friday and away to Switzerland on Monday, in place of center back Luis Binks who is injured.
Bates played the last of his four games for Scotland in March 2019. He was then called up just once, later in 2019, during Steve Clarke’s seven years as coach that ended at the World Cup in June.
