Striking statements from Ali Koç ahead of the Extraordinary General Assembly: It turns out I'm not easy to break

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç was a guest on Uğur Dündar's live broadcast on SÖZCÜ TV ahead of the extraordinary general assembly on September 21.

Making statements regarding the agenda, Ali Koç said the following:

"When we look at it from a financial perspective, we have a significant achievement. When we look at amateur branches, our successes are clear. Fenerbahçe is currently the only club in Europe to have won the EuroLeague in both women's and men's basketball... It has done this twice. We have won many medals in amateur sports. In the last three Olympic Games, 25 percent of the delegation consisted of Fenerbahçe athletes... As in the past, our championships were stolen during our term as well. Our club has had many successes during our seven-year period. However, when success does not come in football, other achievements are forgotten. I believe that if we can unite this season, we are the strongest candidate for the championship."

"WE COULD HAVE SPENT OUR SPONSORSHIP REVENUES"

We are not working for the election. We are working for the future of Fenerbahçe. If we wanted to, we could have cashed in our sponsorship revenues and spent them. But we did not do that. This is not in the best interest of Fenerbahçe. Only during the Covid period did we ask some suite owners to purchase their suites for two years. Other than that, we acted very responsibly.

"We are going through such a period that if we sneeze, we are criticized heavily. There are some people who speak in another language, and when it is translated into Turkish, there can be a slip of the tongue. This is what Hamdi Ulukaya experienced as well. It would be wrong to draw something bad from this. Mr. Hamdi went to the USA without money in his pocket and became the owner of one of the world's largest yogurt factories there. Later, he wanted to contribute to Fenerbahçe, which he has supported since his childhood, and he met me by chance. The first thing he showed me were videos of his children playing at home wearing Fenerbahçe jerseys. In the end, we signed such a beautiful agreement."

"A LOT OF THINGS ARE ALREADY ON TRACK"

"There is a huge difference between the football market of 20 years ago and today's football market. In sports branches, revenues do not always cover expenses. Therefore, it is necessary to create new resources. We have succeeded in this. Let's take men's basketball. The men's basketball team was the one with the highest deficit. It had a deficit of 12 million. We reduced this to 6 million. And this is a branch that has done this while being successful... When success comes in football, everything will fall into place. A lot of things are already on track... With success in football, the community will become even more united."

"I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS RESILIENT"

"If we leave the presidency of Fenerbahçe Sports Club to those who invest in social media, to those who try to intimidate me with insults and slanders, we will never be able to close that door again. Did I commit theft? Did I commit a disgraceful crime? No. We just couldn't become champions in football. I didn't know I was this resilient either. But I saw that it turns out I'm not easy to break."

"WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR FENERBAHÇE OTHER THAN WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN FOOTBALL?"

"'I will make Fenerbahçe champion' is a very nice statement. Didn't I know how to say this? But I can say it this season. Because I think the stars have aligned this time. Well, what will you do for Fenerbahçe other than winning the championship in football? Will investments in other branches continue? I cannot hear anything about these. Our general assembly members will decide. Is it to reap the fruits of the seeds we have sown, or to start from scratch with a new management? They will decide on this."