Hamit Altintop, TFF board member in charge of national teams, spoke to TRT Spor ahead of EURO 2024.
“There was an unpleasant interview after the Faroe Islands match”
Before starting the program, we remembered my statement in the Faroe Islands. It was a very unpleasant interview after a terrible defeat. No matter how true the content was, unfortunately our body language was negative. We will also try to improve on the communication side. For those who know me and those who don’t, please know that there is good intention here. We also value the education part. As a player, I was also a team player. I was never the type to put myself forward back then. The same goes for the management part. Expectations are high and it’s sad when we can’t meet them. We are aware that this is a project and a long-term story.
“We beat Germany and then we conceded six goals… we want to cut that down.”
We beat Germany in November 2023, then conceded six goals in March 2024. These things have happened throughout history, but we want to reduce the number and increase the good things.
“We brought our younger brothers onto the team.”
It’s my third year in the national team. We expanded the team, made it more organized, and set a title that emphasizes team play. Think about it. Barish Alper wore the A national team jersey for the first time three years ago. We gave him the opportunity to play for the national team before he shone in his own team. Kenan Yıldız, Salih Özcan, and Ferdi Kadıoğlu decided to represent Turkey and lift the flag of our country. Players like Arda Güler, Ahmetkan, and Bertug are invaluable. We’ve been with these brothers since I came here.
“They will be captains at Euro 2032.”
We call Semih Kurçisoy, Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız our golden generation. I hope this golden generation will be the captains at EURO 2032, which we will host. It will be a big stage for them. They need to be ready to learn. They need to be on the field to learn, even if it is just practice.
“Ismail Yuksek and Ferdi cannot take any risks against Georgia.”
Ismail Yuksek and Ferdi Kadıoğlu are fit but not 100%. If we only had one game today we might take a risk and play them, but they could play in the second or third game, even if not the first.
