He had made headlines with sexual assault allegations: Statement from TFF regarding Atakan Karazor

The Turkish National Football Team will face Montenegro in Samsun on Friday, October 11, and Iceland away on Monday, October 14, in the UEFA Nations League B Group 4.

TFF Vice President Ceyhun Kazancı answered questions from members of the press before the national team's training session last night.

Kazancı also responded to a question regarding the ongoing sexual assault case involving Atakan Karazor, the German-born Turkish midfielder for Stuttgart who recently chose to represent the Turkish National Team and was called up to the squad.

Stating that there has been a lawsuit ongoing for 2 years regarding the 27-year-old actor, Kazancı said, "We believe Atakan is innocent," and added the following:

“I understand the sensitivity that has been on social media for the last few days. I must state that the recent cases of violence against women and children have saddened us all. I hope these will come to an end in the near future.

There has been an ongoing legal process regarding Atakan since 2022. Every individual is innocent until proven guilty. We believe in Atakan's innocence. Unfortunately, these cases have started to increase, especially in the football world.

He has now risen to the position of captain in Stuttgart, and the German national team had a great interest in him. I believe that the case will be concluded with his acquittal very soon.

We believe he will make a very significant contribution to us. The case is ongoing in Spain, but he most recently played in the Champions League match away against Real Madrid.

We cannot provide further information as the case is ongoing. We must stand by them. We are against all forms of violence.”