TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu's call to Akın Gürlek: 'In which country in the world does such a disgrace exist?'

The A National Football Team, which will face the USA in its third match in Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, began its preparations with a training session at Arizona Athletic Grounds. Before the session, Turkish Football Federation President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu answered questions from members of the press.

Starting his remarks by thanking those who provided support, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "Thousands of our citizens from all over the world came to America to support their national team. I thank them individually. Likewise, I express my gratitude to the thousands of people who woke up early in the morning and gathered in the squares of every province and district of the country to show their enthusiastic support for their national team. My heart wished that we could have achieved success here for the 85 million people who embraced their team with such devotion and made them happy, but there is a hidden good in every evil, and a hidden evil in every good; the Almighty Allah did not decree it. First of all, I would like to thank the players. They are the ones who brought us here. They are the ones who played in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. They are the ones who promoted us to the International League A. They are the ones who carried us to the World Cup after 24 years, along with our coach Montella and his technical team. I thank them as well."

"OUR HEARTS FEEL THE WEIGHT OF IT"

Stating that the results saddened them as well, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "Our hearts are truly aching. From the kit manager to the player, from the technical staff to the management, everyone's heart is aching. Because we did not come to the World Cup for these goals. But let people know that our 85 million beloved nation, whom we respect, is just as saddened as those who put in the effort here—the kit manager, the player, the technical staff, the management, and us—and our hearts still feel the weight of it. Let us not forget that it is 'Our Boys' who brought us here. Most of them are around 20 years old, and these are children who might play in 3-4 tournaments together in the coming years. These are our children; we must support them," he said.

"I LEAVE IT TO THE APPRECIATION OF THE 80 MILLION WHAT THEY ARE SERVING"

Stating that they value constructive criticism, the TFF President said, "We have respect for them, and the player, the technical staff, and the professional staff all have an obligation to show respect. Because that is beneficial to you, but I leave it to the appreciation of the 80 million what these people are serving who go beyond morality, use sentences that amount to insults, and become so immoral as to 'give our boys other names.' Our nation already understands them. We will stand by our children. Just as they have brought us successes one after another in the last two years, I hope they will continue to bring those successes to this nation from now on," he said.

"WE NEVER TRADE THOSE WE WALK THE PATH WITH FOR THOSE WE FIND ON THE ROAD"

Expressing that their support for Head Coach Vincenzo Montella and the players will continue, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "We will stand by our coach, and we will stand by our players. This is not a club team. When you look at club teams, failures come because there is no continuity. You cannot send away 15 players and bring in 15 new ones. You cannot send away the coach and bring in a new one. You cannot send away the president and bring in a new one. That is why we are standing by our players. They have been writing the names of coaches for two days. But those who know our character know well that we never trade those we walk the path with for those we find on the road," he declared.

"I understand well what is being said, and I read well what is being written. I am 60 years old; ask me about the 40 years of football, and I will tell you who was in whose pocket, by day and hour. This includes the national teams. I am such a person. Everyone asks, 'Does a federation president talk like this?' Yes, he does, you will get used to it. I am a person whose heart and tongue are one. Whatever is in my heart, I speak with my tongue. Because I have no baggage behind me," he said.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK WHATEVER COMES FROM OUR HEARTS"

Evaluating the criticisms, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "Now, as for the talk I don't understand, those who cannot reflect what is in their heart to their tongue only sneak sentences into their speech. If those who have baggage on their backs, those who carry the baggage, are crushed under its weight, they still do not have the courage to say what they should say from their heart with their tongue, and they only respond with their hands. We, this is our heart, this is our tongue. We will continue to speak whatever comes from our hearts with our tongues," he said.

"IN WHICH COUNTRY IN THE WORLD DOES SUCH A DISGRACE EXIST"

Stating that the limits of criticism have been exceeded, Hacıosmanoğlu addressed Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, saying, "He was appointed to the Ministry of Justice with the approval of our President, and I believe he will provide superior service to this country. But of course, we will make comments, we will write, we will draw, but we will not cross the boundaries of morality. My special request to him is to look at all the examples in the world; in which country in the world does such a disgrace exist? I believe that a legal regulation needs to be made regarding this immediately," he said.

"WE CERTAINLY TAKE THIS RESPONSIBILITY UPON OURSELVES"

Saying that they are not running away from responsibility, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "Now, if we were being cunning about this, we would say, 'Of course, we as the management have done all our duties,' but it is not like that. As the management and as the president, we certainly take this responsibility upon ourselves. We did it, and the children did it too," he said.

Sharing the message sent by the 21-year-old daughter of Trendyol CEO Çağlayan Çetin, Hacıosmanoğlu emphasized that support should be given to young players.

"I NEVER GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY"

Responding to the question of whether he had a private meeting with Montella, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "I never gave him the opportunity. I didn't give the opportunity. Thank you, friends. I mean, no such conversation took place between us, and there is no need to give an opportunity for that anyway. If you are the president, you have to understand the psychology of both the player and the coach there and support them; you shouldn't drag them into such an environment," he said.

"WHAT IS THE NEED TO BRING THESE DISCORDS INTO THE TEAM"

Reacting to the allegations made about the team, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "Now when you look at it, we will state the statistics, and this time you say, 'Why are you stating the statistics?' I mean, after all, when you look at the statistics in the last two matches, you have taken 65 shots. Did you play badly? Could it have been more cautious? That is a separate issue, but of course, there are aspects to be criticized, but that is not my job. Of course, we respect those who criticize on that subject, of course, they will criticize. What do they want? They want better. I will agree with them, but we are talking to those who push the boundaries of morality."

Touching on the allegations that there are problems within the team, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "We are speaking to those who say as if there are people fighting with each other within this team. We are speaking to those who try to label 'Our Boys' with another name, we are speaking to those immoral people. We are speaking to those who say the team captain is running the team. What is the need to bring these discords into the team? You started from the very first match. But these children will shame them all, with God's permission," he said.

"THERE IS NO PRESSURE ON THE CHILDREN"

Stating that there is no pressure on the national players, Hacıosmanoğlu concluded his remarks by saying, "There was only a discomfort caused by these immoral criticisms. Other than that, there is no pressure on the children."

News Source: İHA