Fenerbahce club president Ali Koc held a press conference regarding the process of his candidacy for the presidency.
The meeting, held at the Fenerbahçe Fark Irgas facility, was also attended by new board members.
Under new coach Ali Koç, Erol Bilecik, Burak Kızılhan, Sertak Komşoğlu, Akın Ilkali, Ahmet Ketensi, Alper Alpor, Cenk Oztanik, Eren Düşli, Ergun Ozen, Esin Gülar Argat, Fetih Beijing, Hakan Safi, Hamdi Akın and Hulusi Berg, along with Hüseyin Bozkurt, Kemal Danabaş, Mehmet Dereli, Nedim Keçeli, Özgür Özaktaç, Rufat Pelaya and Selma Rodopman.
Ali Koç issued a statement here saying he had evaluated his six years as president and faced his mistakes.
Koc reminded them that they have yet to realise their dream at Fenerbahce, saying: “We had some issues, especially in the beginning, where we didn’t get it right with the A-team football structure. Naturally, you can ask us questions about transfers and transfers. We have learnt a lot from the past and all the processes we went through and we know what to do more than ever before,” he said.
Highlighting that a report published by UEFA in 2018 stated that Fenerbahçe were the club closest to bankruptcy in Europe, Koç said:
“We were the second worst club in Europe in terms of net debt to revenue ratio. There are 700 clubs in the Super League and the first league in European countries. Among these 700 clubs, we were the worst club in Europe in terms of net debt.” In terms of debt to revenue ratio, our net debt was the sixth in Europe, emphasizing that clubs with a turnover close to $1 billion do not have as much debt as we do. Having become the strongest club in Europe, the total debt, which was 3,118 million liras on May 31, 2018, has now been reduced by half, and regardless of the exchange rate, Fenerbahçe’s debt has decreased. Of that, 612,347 liras were to financial institutions, and factoring debts with exorbitant interest rates remained. May God not let our club go through those days again. I think we are managing our financial structure in the most correct way. We converted all our debts into liras. Today we can see how right we were. From my point of view, the Fenerbahçe club has not received a single penny. “I said it before, but anyone who claims otherwise is lying.”
Explaining that when he first took over, the Fenerbahçe A football team didn’t even have a jersey sponsor, Koç continued:
“Today, each of our branches has a sponsor. Fenerium has reached the level of the Champions League. I shared these to remind those who say that six years were wasted. Even in CAS At UÇK, no lawsuits have been filed against Fenerbahçe.”Apart from the financial situation, which is also important in Olympic sports, we want to make sure that the financial situation is manageable and that the team is not responsible for any crimes. I believe that I have been freed from the mistakes I made. The past two seasons have seen a successful transfer campaign, establishing one of the best sides of all time, and last season they were the Turkish club with the most points in Europe. They reached an unprecedented level of points this season with one week left. Despite all the injustices, we have built a team that will hold out for a championship. “The season is over. We hope it ends with a championship. We achieved it.” We have been able to stabilize our football recently.”
Stating that in 2018 he began to move away from a management approach that considered the club his own property, Koç said, “Today I am still a candidate. I cannot go back to those days. Financial strength is the most important point.” We will fight until Fenerbahçe achieves its glorious history and international brand value. “I make a statement to those who used the statement that Fenerbahçe will not make me a champion while Ali Koç is here to promote the election.” If we were in that state of mind, Fenerbahçe could not have said such words in a match where we were unfairly reduced to 10 men in the 22nd minute. The real problem is the attitude of our community. Over the past two seasons, Fenerbahçe has been subjected to great injustice and fierce attacks. We have clearly seen that the structure of the football world punishes those who do not obey. “Servants of this order, we have begun the struggle, but we are determined to see it through to the end,” he said.
“Our biggest goal is for the football team to win a championship.”
Ali Koç said that if he is elected, his most important goal in the new term would be to reach the championship.
Coach Koci stated that they would finish the league with a historic score, saying, “If we are selected, our biggest goal is for the football team to win the championship.”When we achieved such success this season, “We found a league with another scandal.” “When you get such a strong team, bugs in the system started showing up one by one every week. That’s normal for Turkey. If we had a league, we would have been very excited in the final week. Thankfully , the season is over.” Over 90 points, we will build a team that has dominated the league so far, but we have experienced the past two seasons and are stronger with this transfer and reinforcements. No one should have any doubts that we will build a Fenerbahçe team.” With a team like this, we don’t have to promise a championship and we can continue to build on the success we have achieved in Europe over the past two seasons. You can do it. ” he said in his assessment.
Koç said that both companies have established strong management structures and will withdraw from the Banking Union Agreement at the end of the next three years.
“There is no room for emotions anymore. We can’t afford to make mistakes anymore. We have decided on a new board accordingly. We will overcome the problems more effectively. The fans must continue to trust us. I have no doubt about that.” Of course, if he had not accepted this time, perhaps “they would be on TV with Dursun Ozbek. It was very unfortunate that the issue of Mourinho was brought up before the derby. We have a Championship match and it is not the time to talk about it.”
Koç, who said he believed former president Aziz Yildirim’s candidacy process was aimed at revenge against him, responded to Galatasaray club president Dursun Ozbek’s comments:
“I didn’t mean to thank Mr. Elden, but I would like to thank him for at least disowning his own president. The conversations he was having did not take place anywhere near or even that far away. This is not the first lie. Unfortunately, those who lie do not have to prove themselves. Is he lying? Is he pathological? Are there situations in which it is not easy to tell a lie? I don’t know. There have been no such issues between us.”
“The club flag is also the club’s honor.”
Ali Koc also touched on the events that took place after the Galatasaray derby.
After the match, Koç, who explained that he had gone to the stadium voluntarily, said:
“Those who are fighting us are targeting public servants to hide their shame. If the president of Galatasaray says he will come to the Fenerbahçe stadium, won’t the police help us? We are football players. The soccer players wanted to go.” I asked them to go and take a commemorative photo, but they were the only ones in the stadium. I’ll try to leave while I’m there. This time, we did it because the team wanted it. It is their honor that is the Flag of Despair. There was a backlash because they tried to usurp our flag. ”
In response to a question about yesterday’s meeting with presidential candidate Aziz Yildirim, he said: “If you are wondering who are the forces that will not make Fenerbahçe champions, you should look in the mirror, because one of them is yourself. ” he said. Ali Koç responded and added that he will continue his journey with sporting director Mario Blanco.
