Ersun Yanal speaks out on foreign player rule: The disease is clear, radical treatment is essential

Head coach Ersun Yanal stated, "In 10 years, we have transferred over 2,500 foreign players. We have spent roughly 1.5 billion euros on these players. What did we get? A big nothing. The disease is very clear, radical treatment is essential. We must save football not with painkillers, but by eliminating the factors that cause the disease."

In his statement, Yanal reminded that the Turkish Football Federation had announced a new foreign player rule and noted that Turkey is currently 37th in the FIFA rankings and 9th in the UEFA rankings.

"OUR HEAD COACH COUNT IS ZERO"

Reporting that the number of Turkish players in Europe's top 5 leagues is 10, Yanal noted the following:

"Our head coach count is zero. The number of referees we had officiating in the 2022 World Cup is also zero. The Süper Lig attracts fewer spectators than the Bundesliga 2. We are in first place in FIFA with 133 disciplinary files. Seven of our Süper Lig clubs are under transfer bans. The total debt of the 'Big Three' is over 30 billion. We are the oldest league in Europe. We are the league that plays the oldest foreign footballers and gives the least amount of space to young players. In 10 years, we have transferred over 2,500 foreign players. We have spent roughly 1.5 billion euros on these players. What did we get? A big nothing. The disease is very clear, radical treatment is essential. We must save football not with painkillers, but by eliminating the factors that cause the disease."

Stating that stability in management is needed from now on, Yanal continued his words as follows:

"WE MUST PRODUCE A 'FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT POLICY'"

"Long-term restructuring in every department, starting with the TFF main administration, is the first step. Because those who make the decisions today, unfortunately, will not even watch the matches on TV tomorrow. The second step is to produce plans and programs that will enable the masses to play football. Of course, this should be considered not just for football, but as a sports structure for the country. We must ensure grassroots organization in football cities such as Trabzon, İzmir, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Bursa, Eskişehir, Ankara, İstanbul, Antalya, and Adana. In this way, we can create resources in sufficient number and quality to feed football. Afterwards, we must move this resource to the elite level with good organization, discover new talents, and produce a 'Football Development Policy' with an academic structure suitable for our country."

Noting that a structure like the Rennes team in France could also be implemented in Turkey, Yanal assessed, "Have you ever seen a stove that heats a pot from the top? Yet, this is what we have been doing for years. That is, we put the pot on the stove and serve from the side that is heating up. The bottom is always cold, tasteless, and bland. In short: We need a football transformation that can be applied across the entire country. We must organize the mission of the Süper Lig for at least five years plus a second five-year period, set unchangeable rules, and not sacrifice these rules to the interests of the clubs. But we must also build a future for our clubs and urgently decide who we are managing football for."