Ali Koç's Fenerbahçe report card: 7 years, 11 managers, 1 trophy

Sadettin Saran was elected president after receiving 24,393 votes at the Fenerbahçe Extraordinary Elective General Assembly. Ali Koç, who took the presidential seat in June 2018 and served for 7 years, suffered a defeat by a margin of 257 votes in his 4th election. Koç was first elected president on June 3, 2018, with 16,092 votes, and received 6,459 votes as the sole candidate in the election held on June 26, 2021. Competing once again against former president Aziz Yıldırım on June 8-9, 2024, Koç had been elected for the 3rd time with the votes of 16,464 congress members.

However, after the football A-team lost the championship in the 2024-2025 season, the opposition launched a signature campaign, leading Ali Koç to make the decision for an extraordinary election. Announcing the election decision on May 18, 2025, Koç stated in a broadcast on the club's television channel, "The upcoming 3-month period is the date when season preparations and the transfer process are determined. The situation we have reached regarding financial independence must not be disrupted. We have doubled our revenues. Our decision to hold the extraordinary general assembly together with our financial general assembly in September is not an act of stubbornness, but one of belief and responsibility."

FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP DROUGHT EXTENDS TO 11 YEARS

In the first year Koç took office, Fenerbahçe's championship drought was 4 years. However, this longing could not be satisfied over 7 seasons. While squad instability and managerial changes were the reasons for failure in the early periods, the championship still did not come even though more balanced squad planning was implemented after the second period. Under the management of İsmail Kartal, the yellow-navies broke the club's record with 99 points but remained 3 points behind Galatasaray. Subsequently, in the process continued with Jose Mourinho, the championship was lost once again. During Koç's 7-year presidency, Galatasaray won 4 times, while Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor, and Başakşehir each won once. The gap in league championships between the yellow-navies and their arch-rival Galatasaray has widened to 6.

WORKED WITH 11 MANAGERS

During the Koç era, Fenerbahçe parted ways with 11 managers. The process, which began with Phillip Cocu, who was brought in after Aykut Kocaman, continued with Erwin Koeman, Ersun Yanal, Tahir Karapınar, Erol Bulut, Emre Belözoğlu, Vitor Pereira, Zeki Murat Göle, Jorge Jesus, İsmail Kartal, and Jose Mourinho. Finally, Domenico Tedesco took charge of the team. The most successful performance in derbies during the Koç era came under the management of İsmail Kartal.

ONLY TROPHY IS THE TURKISH CUP

Ali Koç was able to win only 1 trophy in football during his 7-year tenure. Fenerbahçe, which reached the final undefeated in the 2022-2023 season, defeated Başakşehir 2-0 to take the Ziraat Turkish Cup to its museum.

SUPER CUP CRISIS AND THE U19 TEAM

The date crisis experienced with the federation before the 2023 Super Cup final led Fenerbahçe to take the field with its U19 team. In the match played in Şanlıurfa on April 7, 2024, the yellow-navies withdrew from the field after 1 minute. Galatasaray was declared the winner by default and won the cup.

SERIES ENDING IN KADIKÖY

During Ali Koç's presidency, Fenerbahçe lost its long-standing unbeaten streaks in Kadıköy. Galatasaray won in Kadıköy after 1999, Beşiktaş after 2005, and Trabzonspor after 1997. During this period, years-long unbeaten streaks against Gençlerbirliği and Göztepe also came to an end.

DERBY PERFORMANCE

Over the 7-year period, Fenerbahçe played 28 derbies in the league against Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. Suffering 10 defeats, the yellow-navies were able to beat their rivals only 3 times each. 12 derbies ended in a draw. During this period, 31 goals were scored in derbies, while 40 goals were conceded.

EUROPEAN ADVENTURES

During the Koç era, Fenerbahçe played 70 matches in European cups. They recorded 33 wins, 17 draws, and 20 losses. Fenerbahçe, which played in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League in the 2023-2024 season, was eliminated by Olympiakos on penalties. In the Champions League, they were stopped by Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv, and Benfica again.

TRANSFERS AND RECORDS

During the Koç era, Fenerbahçe added over 100 players to its squad in 15 transfer windows. The most expensive transfer was Kerem Aktürkoğlu at 22.5 million Euros. Arda Güler's transfer to Real Madrid for 20 million Euros was recorded as one of the club's most notable sales. Ferdi Kadıoğlu became the most expensive sale in club history after being transferred to Brighton for 30 million Euros.

THE PINNACLE OF EUROPE IN BASKETBALL

Historical successes were achieved in the basketball branch during the Ali Koç era. The Men's Basketball Team reached the Euroleague championship for the second time in 2025. The Women's Basketball Team made history by winning 6 consecutive league championships, 2 Euroleague titles, and 2 FIBA Super Cups.

SUCCESSES IN OLYMPIC BRANCHES

During the Koç era, Fenerbahçe invested heavily in Olympic branches. 27 of the 102 athletes representing Turkey at the Paris 2024 Olympics wore the yellow-navy jersey. The Olympic medals of Buse Naz Çakıroğlu and Busenaz Sürmeneli in women's boxing, Kuzey Tunçelli's records in swimming, and the successes of Ramil Guliyev and Ersu Şaşma in athletics stood out.

News Source: İHA