Fenerbahçe files application to TFF regarding Erden Timur!

Galatasaray Vice President Erden Timur made statements targeting Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç during an A Spor broadcast he appeared on the previous day. Timur alleged that Lale Orta had sent the VAR records of the Adana Demirspor - Fenerbahçe match to Ali Koç.

The Yellow-Navies filed an application with the Turkish Football Federation following Timur's statements.

In the statement made by Fenerbahçe, it was stated: "Our club has filed an application with the Turkish Football Federation following the statements made by Galatasaray Sportif A.Ş. Vice President Erden Timur."

FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT

"Our club has requested that an investigation be opened regarding the aforementioned allegations in a letter sent to the Turkish Football Federation, due to the fact that Galatasaray Sportif A.Ş. Vice President Erden Timur, who was a guest on a television channel in recent days, made a number of baseless allegations regarding the boards of your Federation, which is at the head of our country's football stakeholders, and our Club.

The text sent to the Turkish Football Federation by our Secretary General Burak Çağlan Kızılhan is as follows:

“As Fenerbahçe Sports Club and its subsidiary Fenerbahçe Futbol A.Ş., we have always shown and will continue to show sensitivity for the justice, transparency, and integrity of Turkish football. In this context, we are deeply concerned about the baseless allegations made by Galatasaray Sportif A.Ş. Vice President Erden Timur regarding the boards of your Federation, which is at the head of our country's football stakeholders, and our Club, during a program he attended on the A Spor television channel on October 17, 2023, and the statements he shared with the public—a portion of the transcript of which is presented in the annex of this letter—in order to make these unfair allegations believable.

It has come to our attention that in the aforementioned program, an extremely serious accusation was made that the former President of the Central Referee Committee, Ms. Lale Orta, served certain images and information to our Club President, Mr. Ali Y. Koç, in an unlawful manner. The allegations in question are, to say the least, 'untrue'; they damage the value of Turkish football, undermine the principle of fair play, and cause serious discomfort in the football community. In order to eliminate doubts regarding the veracity of the allegations and to inform the public, it has become necessary to request that these allegations be investigated in detail and that the necessary steps be taken.

It is a fact that not only the allegations made in the program dated October 17, 2023, but also certain allegations made by former referee Ahmet Çakar on the program named Beyaz Futbol, which is broadcast on the Beyaz TV channel in recent weeks, should be examined. Indeed, based on the fact that the aforementioned person is also a TFF delegate, we had requested an investigation to be opened before the Ethics Committee on October 4, 2023.

It is essential for your Federation to thoroughly examine the allegations in question and initiate an investigation into them, and also to take the statements of all relevant parties when necessary, and this is also at the forefront of your Federation's obligations. Our greatest wish is for this process to be carried out in a transparent, fair, and impartial manner. Following the investigation and prosecution stages to be carried out fairly and objectively, the injustice of the allegations made against our Club and its members will be revealed, and we have full faith that the individuals who made the statements that cast suspicion on us in a manner contrary to the truth will be punished with the relevant sanctions by the Disciplinary Boards and the Ethics Committee—without prejudice to our right to apply regarding the relevant provisions of Law No. 6222, Articles 18/10, 22/1, 22/3, and other relevant provisions—due to their opposition to Article 36 of the Football Disciplinary Instruction and other relevant provisions, and Articles 11 to 12 of the Ethics Committee Instruction and other relevant regulations.

At the point reached, allegations and speculations regarding the integrity of the game on and off the pitch are among the primary structural problems of Turkish football. Undoubtedly, it is the responsibility of your Federation to clarify the allegations in question and take the necessary precautions.

It is essential that this responsibility be fulfilled properly. Otherwise, the necessity of questioning your Federation will be inevitable.

For the future of Turkish football, we request that you seriously consider both the allegations made in the program broadcast on the A Spor channel on October 17, 2023, and the application we made to the Ethics Committee on October 4, 2023, and take the necessary steps."

WHAT DID ERDEN TİMUR SAY?

Erden Timur had alleged that the then-MHK President Lale Orta had sent the VAR records of the Adana Demirspor – Fenerbahçe match to Ali Koç. Timur had said the following in the television program he attended;

“LALE ORTA SENT THE VAR RECORDS TO ALİ KOÇ”

“Lale Orta sending the VAR footage to Ali Koç. There is a record, and I will also say where it is. I am a lawyer after all. It is not street gossip. It is information whose accuracy has been confirmed. The date the event took place is February 3, 2023. 5 days after Lale Orta became MHK President. Entry and exit to the VAR room in Riva are kept under record. Not everyone can enter and exit whenever they want. You have to report every entry and exit to the TFF, the general secretariat, and the technological partner.

“On the morning of February 3, Lale Orta enters the VAR room. She wants to watch the VAR records of the Adana Demirspor-Fenerbahçe match. The goal scored by Mert Hakan had been canceled on the grounds of a handball. Ms. Lale, who was under heavy pressure, asks the VAR referee Koray Gencerler, and he says that he detected the handball. Since that footage showing the handball is only in the VAR room, she records that footage, which was enlarged behind the high goal, on her mobile phone.”