Fenerbahçe Club President Ali Koç said that they welcomed the decision taken by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) regarding foreign VAR referees and that they would compete in the Ziraat Turkish Cup in line with this decision.
ISTANBUL (AA) – Fenerbahçe Supreme Council Board President Şekip Mosturoğlu and Fenerbahçe Board Members were also present at the press conference held at Ülker Stadium.
Ali Koç, who started his speech by recalling the first election he won against Aziz Yıldırım, mentioned that they had 3 goals when they took office. Explaining that they aimed to establish unity and solidarity in the community, achieve financial independence and develop Fenerbahçe with the vision of the world’s largest sports club, Koç stated that they could not achieve one of these goals.
Stating that desires and expectations increase as success does not come in football, and that they are the biggest disappointment in this sense, Koç said, “We are extremely sad and unhappy for this. We worked day and night to ensure that our community, which is the solution to every problem, does not have to bow down. “We are proud that we did not put 1 lira of illicit morsel into Fenerbahçe’s coffers, while our arch-rival was greedy for the money from illegal betting and even black market tickets.” he said.
Koç added that they are at the highest level in all branches except football, but when there is no success in football, they cannot be happy with other successes, and continued as follows:
“We made mistakes like every club. We did not mind making self-criticism. But didn’t the teams that became champions in the last 10 years make any mistakes? Didn’t they have any administrative shortcomings? While everyone could become a champion despite their mistakes and shortcomings, for some reason we could not. Perfection has always been expected from us. We had a perfect season last season. We won 4 of 6 derbies. We have never been defeated away. When they couldn’t stop us, they pushed our opponent. The public and the press did not talk about our rivals’ mistakes or even their crimes as much as we did. I’m not just talking about our period, I had it checked again. I express this a lot, there is a difference of 1 point and 5 championships between us and Galatasaray in the last 10 years. Fenerbahçe has not had an unsuccessful record in the last 10 years, but when it comes to Turkish football, the numbers do not tell the truth.”
– “If foreign VAR is not used in all matches, we are out”
Emphasizing that many things changed after the extraordinary general assembly held on April 2, 2024, Koç reminded that there was a Super Cup match in Şanlıurfa after the decisions taken.
Stating that although some of the community said that the congress was wasted, Fenerbahçe’s stance was very effective, Koç said, “The situation we are in today is that we are talking about the certain organization gaining strength in Turkey and advancing openly in football since the end of the 90s. This situation will not change in 3 days with the change of the federation president. Now awareness has increased, other clubs have joined forces.” he said.
Stating that after the Extraordinary General Assembly, signatures were collected for the change of federation at the Clubs Union Foundation, Koç continued as follows:
“We reluctantly played the Super Cup match with the under-19 team, keeping the option of whether to participate in the Turkish Cup or not, with the authority we received from here. This move, which made a splash in the world press, is the first step that ignites the fuse of change. ‘The dirtiest federation in history, its boards should resign.’ Who said, who met with the then federation president in Urfa 2 hours before the match and set up a strategy? It was Mr. Dursun Özbek. He is making such a plan and slandering that we met with the current federation president in mansions. On April 12, it was decided by TFF to introduce foreign VAR referees. It was an important move, but it was incomplete, it was not made for every team. The Büyükekşi Federation, which everyone thought would win in the elections, was expelled from Turkish football with a natural coalition, hopefully never to come again. After 18 years, a federation came into being that did not contain any elements of the known organization. There were elements within previous federations. With the new management, the boards changed, MHK changed. But the important thing is that many referees and observers who seemed shady have changed. Young referees came. “Maybe the desired result cannot be achieved at the moment, but one of the biggest reasons for this is the names in VAR.”
Speaking about the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) decision on foreign VAR referees, Koç said: “It is said that foreign VAR will be used in the second half. We welcome it, but ‘For a while.’ We did not understand what was said. For the entire second half or for a certain period of time? However, let me tell you this, if foreign VAR is not used in all matches, we do not exist. Is it a coincidence that the 4 teams that were relegated last year were the teams that signed against Büyükekşi? That’s why foreign VAR should be in all matches. One of the biggest changes since April 2 is the raising of public awareness about the injustice in Turkish football. Teams that have been treated unfairly are now making rebellious statements. People now realize that it won’t go on like this. To a certain extent, people ignore it, but then it explodes. We are now in the explosion phase. “Those who are accustomed to privilege will do anything to destroy the fair competition environment.” made the statement.
– “I would like to announce that we have decided to participate in the Ziraat Turkish Cup”
Underlining that there are positive developments in Turkish football, Koç said, “We follow with sadness the injustice on the field and especially the privilege of one team by the referees on the field. I wish the VAR decision announced today had continued after last season. We wouldn’t have lost half a season, and our federation wouldn’t have been so worn out. In November, he warned the federation and said, ‘You are currently being operated on by the structure through moves made from within.’ I said. As of today’s point, our federation president wants Turkish refereeing to stand up with national feelings. He expressed today what he wants to do in the future. We do not want to be condemned to the hands of strangers who know football. But we do not want to be condemned to Turkish referees who are foreign to football.” he said.
Referring to Vice President Acun Ilıcalı’s previous statement, Koç continued as follows:
“Pay attention to the referee decisions that Mr. Acun Ilıcalı described as ‘perfect murder’, which VAR cannot intervene in. This is especially true for yellow cards. Please watch the second half carefully and do not allow any operations on the field. No more than 35-40 yellow cards have been issued to our opponent until this week of the season. What does the guy do in the Göztepe match, he doesn’t get a card? They headbutt my player, he falls to the ground and gets a card. If precautions are not taken in this regard, we should always consider the application of foreign referees on the field. When we achieve justice, many events will be resolved in a chain manner. Many things will improve, from brand value to sponsors being more enthusiastic. We prefer to be constructive rather than destructive in the steps taken today. I would like to announce that we have decided to participate in the Ziraat Turkish Cup, considering the persistent suggestions of our coach and football players and the developments that have occurred since April 2. We will participate not with the under-19 team, but with the squad our coach deems appropriate. I would also like to point out that if things go wrong, we have the right to withdraw. Years later, the extraordinary congress held on April 2 will be talked about. “We will go out and play our match tomorrow.”
– “We need to get 2 defenders and a left back”
Referring to the transfer issues, Ali Koç stated that coach Jose Mourinho made a presentation to them yesterday.
Stating that the fans conveyed their complaints to the coach and that Jose Mourinho has a unique system, Ali Koç said, “Mourinho, who is said to defend very badly, is the coach who concedes the fewest goals in the league today. But in terms of dominant football, not letting the opponent stop, and disrupting the match, we could not reach the point that the fans wanted. Whether it is us or not, this teacher must continue. We have 3 essential needs. We need to get 2 defenders and a left back. We believe in our team and our coach. We will go to the end. Jayden and Becao are done for the season. That’s why we will make a transfer. Some of the transfers may be costly. We may not make such a transfer during the halftime under normal circumstances, but it is our board of directors that gives us this courage. Management said, ‘If there is a serious deviation in our expenses, we will cover it.’ they said. he continued.
Stating that Galatasaray has not received a red card in the home field for 3 years and that is why the opponents do not play hard against the yellow-red team, Koç said, “But when they go there, they become very cautious. The opponent is cautious, Galatasaray’s players are relaxed because they know they will not get cards easily. “They are so used to achieving their goals by putting pressure on so many people that it seems like the pressure won’t last long this time.” he said.
Stating that the foreign VAR referee is a good step in the right direction, but the federation should pay close attention to the referee on the field, Koç said: “They should never say ‘The field referee will not be a foreigner’. The VAR referee can play 2 matches in 2 days. Less travel, easier on operations and finances. The other is a much more difficult and costly operation. Let the Federation decide this, if justice is to come to Turkish football, a sponsor can easily be found for this. “We need to look at the logistics side of the matter.” he said.
– “As of now, the players are aware that they will play tomorrow”
Stating that they will take to the field in the Kasımpaşa match to be played tomorrow in the Ziraat Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç stated that the football team was not informed about the decision and continued as follows:
“The football players have news that they will play the match from now on. We have had matches on Thursdays for several weeks due to European matches. Our entire work program is based on this. Yesterday, we told our teacher about the possible situation. If the foreign VAR decision had not been made today, we would not have participated in the cup. Even if the foreign VAR decision were to be announced next week, we would not play the match tomorrow. It’s not over yet, there are many people to weed out. Even when tea makers were recruited to the Federation, they were recruited according to that system. They explained the new format of the Advisory Board at the Clubs Union Foundation. Without exception, all clubs wanted a foreign VAR referee. I think this is a serious awakening. Presidents who are focused on politics dominate many club presidents by saying ‘Ankara wants this’ without being aware of politics. If it had been the previous federation, maybe they would have made him say this. “Some of the clubs that did not sign Büyükekşi are still suffering.” made the statement.
– “Who protects it, where does this power come from?”
Speaking about illegal betting and black market tickets, Fenerbahçe Club President Ali Koç said, “A team put a name on its jersey and made it visible to 85 million people. In a meeting, they were asked, ‘Mr. President, haven’t you ever looked? Didn’t you research this company online?’ I said. He said, ‘Well, when the money came in pieces from Ohio, Malaysia and Indonesia, we got suspicious too.’ he said. One says ‘We received money’ and the other says ‘We did not receive it’. Which one is correct? If you received money, is this money within the limits? This business has a tax aspect, competition and financial situation. We even went to a place where we said, ‘Get used to it, the country’s economy revolves around the informal economy.’ they said. What does this mean? The investigation regarding the bet was closed. “What kind of immunity is this?” made his assessment.
Adding that a figure of 56 million euros was discussed regarding black market tickets, Koç continued as follows:
“This is not such a small number. Inspectors came to us and we said, ‘Examine us.’ A few days later, the chief inspector withdrew from the investigation. Who protects it, where does this power come from? Who allows these? Why does the system work separately there and separately for others? Weren’t those detained for making betting advertisements Turkish citizens? We are talking about unfair competition on and off the field. Let’s talk about contracts. You give someone 10, you say 4.5. What happens to the 5.5 in between? Why don’t other clubs question this? It concerns all of our competition. We will fight this fight until the end. We don’t know if we will get somewhere or not. It is not a struggle that one team can do alone. But we are warrior spirits.”
Pointing out that there are suspicions about many referees regarding illegal betting, Koç said, “I have testified about betting many times. What do I do with betting? If the system works normally, all of these will be eliminated. Isn’t Fenerbahçe’s condemnation to the 2nd place today a continuation of that mentality? They opened an investigation against Acun Ilıcalı. I just heard that Sadettin Saran was also subjected to a similar practice. If this is so, why isn’t an investigation being launched against the team in question? Similar situations occur in TRT’s matches. I want to know this too, is there any way to ice or remove this? Channels broadcasting European matches are subject to investigation. But he puts it on the huge club jersey, but no action is taken. “I think it is our duty to question this.” he said.
– “If Fenerbahçe fans believe, no power can stand against them.”
Referring to the reactions of the fans during the matches, Koç said that they understood the reactions that started from the last match of last season.
Underlining that there is a long time for the season to end, Koç said, “There are many seasons in which we came from 8, 9, 10 points and became champions. But you have to believe. Success cannot come in this negative environment. “If Fenerbahçe fans believe, no power can stand against them.” He made a statement.
Stating that what happened turned the feelings of Fenerbahçe fans into anger, Koç said, “This situation wore out the community and made it impatient. We have come to such a point that we even have the mood to react to Tadic, who has scored 7 goals and 7 assists in 17 matches this season, played in 83 matches since his arrival, and contributed to 51 goals with 24 goals and 27 assists. Our football players in Samandıra said, ‘Why can’t you stop this?’ they say. Reactions, even to one player, affect everyone. We do not want personal support. We passed everything individually. We are all part of a struggle. “Tell us what you want, but support all our athletes who carry the coat of arms.” made his call.
– “Why do I have to beat the referee?”
Underlining that they did not attribute all point losses to the referees and that there were matches in which the team did not play well, Ali Koç said, “There were matches in which we should not have lost points. The coach said, ‘If I had known a little better, I would have transferred this instead.’ he said at the meeting. Did we play well against Eyüpspor? I think we didn’t play that well. Hatayspor is missing, in trouble, they have suspensions. You look at the statistics, it is the best match of the season. You need to break the match, but it doesn’t work. Mr. Acun gave an example of 4 points with 2 penalties. I think he missed that. When you look at the whole season, a different picture emerges. They don’t come out and say ‘Play better, beat the referee.’ they say. Why do I have to beat the referee? he said.
Finally speaking about the Central Referee Board (MHK), Koç concluded his words as follows:
“We are very disturbed about MHK. I talked to the president Ertuğrul, he is also uncomfortable. I watch Trabzonspor matches and serious mistakes are made there too. We always talk about Ferhat Gündoğdu because he is the head of MHK. But MHK has 7 heavy hitters. There are names we do not trust at all. Next thing we know, the man is always there. They put someone in between and sit on the seat again. There are problematic people within MHK. Now comes the issue of foreign VAR. “We need to ask the clubs in the Clubs Association whether there should be 1 or 2 foreigners in the Advisory Board.”
