Sabahattin Yalınpala (1926 - 29 September 2012) was a Turkish bureaucrat and sports manager. He held senior positions in public institutions for many years; He served as the neutral Minister of Transport in the government formed before the 1991 general elections. He was also interested in football refereeing and referee organization.
Duties in bureaucracy
Yalınpala served as a member of the Prime Ministry High Audit Board. He was later appointed general manager of SEKA (Turkish Pulp and Paper Mills), the state's paper and pulp producer, and held this position in the 1980s.
Before the general elections of October 20, 1991, in accordance with Article 114 of the Constitution, names without affiliation with parties were appointed to the ministries of Justice, Internal Affairs and Transport. Within the scope of this arrangement, Yalınpala was appointed as the Minister of Transport in the 48th Turkish Government headed by Mesut Yılmaz.
His ministry position, which he started replacing İbrahim Özdemir at the end of August 1991, ended with the termination of the government on 20 November 1991; He was replaced by Yaşar Topçu.
Duties in football
Yalınpala also served as a football referee and was the president of the Football Referees Association. In the following years, he served as a member of the Turkish Football Federation Board of Directors.
He died on September 29, 2012. His death was announced by the Turkish Football Federation; He was buried in the family cemetery after the prayer at Şakirin Mosque in Karacaahmet. Yalınpala is remembered as one of the names who brought public administration and football management together in the same career.