Dursun Ozbek, who was elected Galatasaray president for the second consecutive year, made the statement on TRTspor.
Dursun Ozbek evaluated the season and said, “It was a very difficult season. It could have been a more enjoyable season. The race was between two teams. The relegation pot was more enjoyable. The excitement lasted until the last moment. Both teams fought for the position in the table.” “That was the difference in points. I hope that next year more teams will be in the fight for the championship. Since last year we have built a very good team. I congratulate the coach. The technical team and all the people who contributed have always been with us. “We had a successful season. Next season we will take another step forward,” he said.
The main points of Dursun Ozbek’s remarks are as follows:
“Our goal is the 25th championship”
“Our performance in the Champions League was not too bad either. We want to go through the playoffs in this year’s Champions League. There is a new format. Galatasaray must be successful in this year’s Champions League. We are working accordingly.” Inside The matches on our field are in high demand, so if Galatasaray’s stadium is designed to accommodate 70,000 people, our team should be able to play at double or triple capacity. Last year, it was full capacity and 70 people were waiting, which shows that if Galatasaray stops selling tickets, the fans who come will need to support the team. It might have been good to have been extended by one week, but in the end, Galatasaray won, so as management, I am very satisfied. Two years in a row… 23rd championship in 2023, 24th championship in 2024… I want to be champion in 2025. So says the star, 2025, 25th championship.
The separation of Timur and Elden
I appointed my brother Elden to this position. Elden has been my jersey sponsor since 2016. I invited him to the club. His contribution to Galatasaray continued in the later era of Mustafa Cengiz. I said, “Let’s work hard together” in 2022. As a president, you have a responsibility. After all, the president is held accountable. He tried his best to make this mission a success without any shortcomings, and he did. We told him that he should continue and that is what the fans expect. He said that he would not enter because he has problems with his family and work. He said that he would not enter during this period. The football mind of Galatasaray… When I appointed my brother Elden, he did not expect such a job. The project we did with Elden was different. He did not accept the position this year. What he is mainly unhappy about is the politics of the club… You have to get used to it. Galatasaray’s ethical values go back 500 years. This is how Galatasaray grew. This is natural. It is extremely wrong to be affected or offended by such criticism. Elden is my brother. I am a very sensitive brother. Because of this sensitivity, he was greatly affected by the criticism. If you want to serve Galatasaray, you have to get used to criticism. It will become clear over time whether the criticism made is true or false.
9 presidents in 26 years
I think it’s good that we’ve had nine presidents in 26 years. It’s not easy to manage a big global brand like Galatasaray. 26 years means we have to think about how far the football economy has come. Anyone can be criticized. At the General Assembly, we are guided to the weighing platform. This General Assembly supported everyone who was successful. You can’t compare Galatasaray’s organization with other teams.
There are no changes in the technical team and the scout team. Is it possible that someone from the board of directors will enter the system? A football mentality is formed there. The coach identifies the flaws and works with the scout team. The team is built with the goals set by the management coach. Elden Bey’s role there is related to order there. The final signature for all expenditures is the signature of the president. Someone has to ensure this coordination. This is teamwork! It is not right to name this with only one person. There is Mr. Ayhan Akman and Mr. Cenk Ergün, the sports director. I did not come to Galatasaray to develop a football mind. I came to be the manager of Galatasaray, which has 17 branches.
Banking Association Agreement
The debt to the banking association was able to be paid off as of May, but there was criticism, and we wanted to leave it to the new management rather than ending it hastily. Now I’m happy that other teams are starting similar efforts. The consortium banks told me that and were grateful. I said that other clubs also have incentives. The Floria project is important for Galatasaray, but not only Galatasaray. As you know, there is a consortium called the banking association. For Galatasaray, the conditions of this restructuring were as important as the interest burden brought by this borrowing. This system has some limitations. We said that we will get out of this restructuring by convincing the banking association consortium.
Transfer Description
We can’t afford to leave the transfers to the last minute. Our work continues. Unfortunately, this season we have EURO 2024. The financial structure of the players who will play there is changing. Our goal is to develop the players we need for the camp. I also spoke with my teacher. This is our current goal. But some players have to wait for the European Championship. It’s not easy to make a constant budget at the moment. Our best chance is to leave the banking association with the Florya project. Galatasaray is inferior in terms of facilities. I don’t think the lack of players from the infrastructure is to blame for this, but it also has a big impact. There is a lack of organization. Kemerburgaz has much more chances than Florya. We don’t plan to release players from the champion team. The team has a very good backbone. There are three or four places that need reinforcement. This team is always playing for the championship, but our goal is to be successful in the Champions League. Not all transfers will be in time for the camp. This guy is playing in the European Championship… Due to the number of foreign players, we need to dispose of some players from this team or leave them on loan.
During the interim transfer period, I told coach Okan Buruk: “Create a transfer policy that will prepare the team for 2024-25.” There is not much success in the interim transfer period. They evaluated him differently. They said that the president does not want to spend money, but that was not true. The left back we acquired was a transfer for next season.
Mourinho’s words
It is clear what Galatasaray is doing. The transfer of other coaches also needs to be evaluated. For example, why Mourinho? Ismail Kartal got 99 points. You change a coach who collected 99 points. How would you feel if there was such a talk at the beginning of the season, that is, if they said you would get 99 points? You can say it was successful. It needs to be evaluated from that side as well. We need to question the purpose of these actions. A very successful coach got 99 points, but you brought in another coach. These are issues that need to be considered. “
