Ali Koç on the foreign player limit: 'We have discussed it with the TFF...'

The Clubs Association Foundation met at the Kasımpaşa Kemerburgaz Facilities.

Following the meeting, Fenerbahçe and Clubs Association President Ali Koç made statements.

Ali Koç's statements are as follows:

"It breaks one's heart to see the Kasımpaşa Facilities. We were envious. Every one of our clubs needs to have facilities like these. I congratulate Mr. Turgay Ciner."

"ERRORS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE"

"We held one of our regular meetings; 3 of our clubs were unable to attend. We will have a visit to the TFF next week. We went over the topics we wanted to discuss. One of the most important agenda items was the structure of the Central Referee Committee (MHK). What should the MHK structure be like, how should referees be developed, how should assignments be made? We believe that with the work we will do with the TFF, we will be in a different structure next year. As you know, every club brings up the mistakes made against them. The fundamental opinion is this: for Turkish football to progress, the refereeing institution needs to be much better. Errors need to be minimized. Where there are humans, there are errors, but we do not think the errors in Turkey are acceptable."

"We had requested the distribution of the 3 revenue items from the TFF. We received information from the TFF that while a 22 percent deduction was made in the past, a 28 percent deduction will be made this year. During the week, the Ministry of Interior held a meeting. We also attended that meeting. It was a Sports Security Evaluation Meeting, and it was very useful. What was very important here was about opposing team fans traveling to matches in a civilized manner."

"BROADCAST REVENUE AND EXPENSES WERE DISCUSSED"

"We planned a 5-year study for Turkish football to gain its economic independence through a study we will conduct among ourselves, and we have discussed this with the TFF as well. This model is not a sustainable model. Things can go to undesirable points. We become very open to external factors. One of the most discussed points was the tax issue. During the Covid period, taxes were increased from 15 to 40 percent. Let's show a common stance and for a few transfer periods, let the clubs only take on the withholding tax obligation, and let the rest be handled however the player and their agent do it. I am thinking about how we can do this. A 40 percent tax creates a very heavy burden."

"We discussed how broadcast revenues can be increased and how we can stop pirate broadcasting. Our expenses were discussed; there are very large deductions. Along with this, we discussed how to have more say in matters such as the MHK and ticketing in line with the interests of the clubs, which are the most important stakeholders of football, and what kind of model can be created."

ATTACK ON BUSENAZ SÜRMENELİ

"Many changes have been made to the instructions. The most important gangrene of Turkish football is the performance of the referees. There is no performance and reward system whatsoever. We are making investments worth the world. These investments are negatively affected by a referee's decision. Errors whose intent is questioned must come to an end. The TFF has a roadmap in mind. Everything is changing in Turkish football, but the referees are not. There are many structural problems. We see that the TFF is addressing these. We also need to contribute; we are the ones who are hurt the most. We cannot continue like this. Referees must also know by now that the situation is serious. Seeing that there is a TFF that sees that this is the case makes us happy."

"I don't have full information regarding the attack on Busenaz, but we will pursue this matter to the end. It is not easy to just slap her like that. She will win many more medals for us. I wish her a very speedy recovery."

STATEMENT ON THE FOREIGN PLAYER LIMIT

"Some of our clubs still have too many foreign players. What does this mean? If you cannot register these people, the right to terminate their contracts arises. This means Turkey's money is being thrown away. We discussed this issue with the TFF. We talked about what kind of solution we can find for this issue without increasing the foreign player limit. Thankfully, the TFF also expressed to us that they will conduct studies on how to help our clubs in this regard."