TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi spoke about the presidential election

Evaluating the national team's 3-1 victory against Georgia in the championship, Büyükekşi emphasized that the Crescent-Star players possess a strong character, stating, "I told our players before the match, 'You will write history, you will have a great story to tell your children.' We said, 'People always talk about 2002 and 2008, you make them talk about 2024'" he said.

"OUR DISALLOWED GOAL WAS ALSO BY A MILLIMETER"

Stating that they want to advance from the group as leaders, Büyükekşi said, "We are moving the goal of advancing from the group one step further. Just advancing is not enough; we want to advance as the leaders.

But the coach thinks step by step. The goal is big, but the steps are small. The teams are very strong. The goal we conceded was also very bad. That goal did not suit us.

Our disallowed goal was also by a millimeter. If it had been 2-0, the match would have been over. We have no official match victories against Portugal. We must play differently and achieve that as well," he assessed.

"OUR EXPATRIATE FANS COMPLIED 100 PERCENT"

Stating that they fulfilled the promise of a 'double holiday,' Büyükekşi said, "The holiday and the championship came together at a time when we needed unity and solidarity. We called on people to 'come to the national matches wearing the national team jersey.' Our expatriate fans complied with this 100 percent. We said, 'Wear red and come.' Our fan walk was also magnificent."

There is great enthusiasm. We feel like we are at home. Our fans are adding great excitement to the European Football Championship. We sang the 'Memleketim' song together at the top of our lungs, and my voice even went hoarse.

We turned the yellow wall of the Dortmund Stadium into a red wall. We thank the fans; everywhere was red and white. We always said we would play at home, and that is exactly what happened. 50,000 of the 60,000-seat stadium were Turkish," he said.

"THIS DID NOT SUIT US"

Noting that the drummers who performed at the Georgia match were the work of associations based in Germany, Büyükekşi said, "We brought the cheerleader from Antalya. The drummers are the work of our associations here. There was a slight whistling while the Georgian national anthem was being played; this did not suit us. We are both neighbors and friends. UEFA imposes penalties for such things. Respect for national and religious values is important."

Explaining that AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the national players after the match before they even went to the locker room, Büyükekşi stated, "Our President called while he was still in the stands. He analyzed all the goals one by one."

HE SPOKE ABOUT THE INJURIES

Reminding that the national team's European Championship journey began with bad luck, Büyükekşi assessed, "Çağlar was injured before the camp. Enes, Ozan and İrfan Can during the camp, and in the Poland match... Their chances of playing are slim. İsmail is in the squad but has issues, Zeki has not fully recovered. A total of 7 of our players have experienced problems."

Pointing out that criticisms of head coach Vincenzo Montella began after the friendly matches, Büyükekşi reminded that it was the Italian coach's birthday yesterday and said, "He was very focused before the match.

His dream was to be at the European Championship as a coach while it was being played, which is important for him. He wasn't even talking to his family. That's why I went to meet him alone. It was his birthday, so a cake was cut," he said.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AT THE TFF

Touching upon the upcoming presidential election at the Turkish Football Federation, Büyükekşi said, "It was said, 'Let the election be in June.' My brother, there is a national team. I am the one who brought in Vincenzo Montella. There is a responsibility.

Perhaps there will be no agreement with the newcomer. The foreign player rule has been determined. The broadcasting agreement has been made; what is it that won't be ready? Their only concern is the referees. The referee we beat up is going to officiate his second match (at the European Championship). Nowhere else in the world is there this much speculation over referees," he stated.

Büyükekşi concluded his remarks by saying, "Nuri Şahin took charge of Dortmund at the age of 35. It is a source of pride for us. Arda, who is currently the favorite of the children, is a role model. He is also very well-liked in the team."