Hakan Safi: Everything I have is sacrificed for my Fenerbahçe

The extraordinary elective general assembly meeting of Fenerbahçe Sports Club is taking place at the Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Sports Complex. Following the agenda items at the congress, the floor was given to the presidential candidates. First, Fenerbahçe Presidential Candidate Hakan Safi took the stage set up in front of the Marathon Lower Stand to deliver his speech. Emphasizing that they have been observing football models since his decision to run, Safi said, "I am filled with great happiness to address you in the capacity of a presidential candidate. After making the decision to run last September, I set no limits for myself for my beloved Fenerbahçe."

I did not hesitate for even a minute regarding my candidacy. I am rolling up my sleeves to serve my club. In our view, Fenerbahçe no longer has a single minute to lose. We worked very hard for months and visited different clubs in Europe. We examined different football models and cultures. We met with very important football figures. One of them is my dear friend Paolo Maldini. We evaluated the situation of Fenerbahçe with Paolo, who is the architect of the structure that ended Milan's championship drought. We determined our goals. We also decided that the enthusiastic football desired by the Fenerbahçe stands will be reflected on the pitch."

Our transfer planning began weeks ago. We have reached an agreement with 3 players so far: Luis Suarez, Merih Demiral, and Mason Greenwood. Believe me, more are coming. I do not speak without a signed contract. We thought very carefully while making these agreements. We carefully selected names that will meet Fenerbahçe's expectations.

I never go back on my word. For me, a promise is made once. We have shown you throughout the campaign that this is how it is, because this is what befits Fenerbahçe. We will not be among those who get Fenerbahçe used to mediocrity or those who are late in transfers. They are waiting in London, and when there is a signed contract, this brother of yours will bring them before you. Next week, when I receive the mandate, every name we announced will be by your side," he said.

"First of all, I will build the best squad in history"

Drawing attention to fair competition for Turkish football, Safi said, "I know you have no patience left. I promise that if we are elected, this drought will not reach 13 years. We will make our Fenerbahçe champions. We will not allow anyone to hinder this goal of ours. We struggled to protect the efforts of our coach, our players, and our fans. Our rivals ran wild because the field was left empty. I am not someone who likes to talk about the past. What is done is done; we have no way to turn back. First of all, I will build the best squad in history. We will remove the obstacles off the pitch one by one. The 'Valley of the Wolves' eras are behind us. The times have changed. This is the era of communication, the right connections, and lobbying. During my time in management, I was instrumental in bringing foreign VAR to Turkish football for the first time. For the first time in its history, a foreign referee appointment was made. I will not be modest about this; these things would not have happened without me. I made very important moves to equalize competition off the pitch. If I become president tomorrow, fixture and referee debates will not be an issue. We will compete under equal conditions. I promise that where I am, no one will dare to take even a quarter of a point from Fenerbahçe."

"We will take these championships that are our right"

Sharing his views on the championships won before 1959, Safi said, "We have not forgotten the 1959 championships either. Our club's application is clear. We will take these championships that are our right. They divided and alienated Fenerbahçe fans. This distinguished community has weakened. It has remained ineffective both on and off the pitch."

"My youth, my energy, my wealth, everything I have is sacrificed for my Fenerbahçe."

Addressing the yellow-navy fans, Hakan Safi continued his remarks as follows:

"I also want to address the fans of this distinguished community. You came and supported your team regardless of rain or mud. You were with us at every away game. You filled the stands regardless of the branch. As we say, 'sometimes there is sadness, sometimes happiness.' We haven't experienced the happiness we wanted in football recently. I promise you; if you show your favor and elect us, we will show the whole world what kind of celebration we will have next May. We showed a trailer of this during the election campaign. We will show everyone the power of Fenerbahçe once again. Today, I am a rival to Mr. Yıldırım in the election. Tomorrow, a president will be elected on June 7. On June 8, we will continue our struggle for the 'Çubuklu' (the striped jersey). Today, we are rivals with our legendary president, but let us not forget our real rivals. I do not forget. This brother of yours does not forget the referees who attend referee seminars under the name of a rival, those who manipulate the fixture, the coaches who curse at Fenerbahçe during celebrations, those who gain ratings by bashing Fenerbahçe, and those who put obstacles in our path. We must all do our part. When we are elected, there will be no 'structure,' no dirty lobbying, and no favored rivals. I will not allow any of it. We want to compete under equal conditions. If it's a table, I will break the table; if it's a structure, I will dismantle the structure. If it concerns Fenerbahçe, I will never allow it. My youth, my energy, my wealth, everything I have is sacrificed for my Fenerbahçe."

"This great community of ours owes nothing to anyone."

Touching upon the projects to be implemented if they take office, Safi said, "I have no limits for you; money and wealth mean nothing to me. The championship I will celebrate on the street with our children is priceless. We will make our children smile together. We will be champions. Have no doubt. The Fenerbahçe era is beginning, and no one will be able to stop us. You will have to make a choice on Sunday. A very critical choice between the past and the future. Will Fenerbahçe remain stuck in the problems of the past, or will it flourish with the successes of the future? You will decide. You will choose whether you want someone who says, 'I don't have that much energy anymore,' or someone who says, 'I will work with all my might no matter the cost.' It will be your choice whether you want someone who says, 'One star is enough,' or someone who says, 'I will bring world stars.' Fenerbahçe does not have even one minute to lose. We cannot spend another year watching our rival's championship. This great community of ours owes nothing to anyone. And no one owes anything to it. We will not be arrogant, and we will not close the stands. We will not cancel season tickets and make children who come to the match with their fathers cry. We have very important projects for our club. We developed the stadium project ourselves. We will increase our stadium's capacity to 64,500 at its current location, Papazın Çayırı. We will do this after we become champions in our first season. It is not possible for our stadium to be ready by May. Our rival started their campaign by saying 'championship first, then the stadium,' which is fine. Then they said they would finish it in May. Now the discourse has changed to 'if the permits are obtained.' Do not let anyone mislead you. Cast your sacred votes accordingly. We also need to address our facilities. One of the situations that does not befit the greatness of our club is our facilities. We need to provide quality living spaces for Fenerbahçe fans. Our Maltepe Facilities are very valuable. The Fenerbahçe youth academy has produced very valuable players recently. We need to build more efficient facilities for our youth academy. Many questions have been asked about amateur branches; we are not coming to close branches or downsize them. We will provide whatever support is needed to our amateur branches," he declared.

"We will buy 5 pilot teams."

Stating that they are not coming with feelings of revenge, Safi said, "We will buy 5 pilot teams in different regions of Turkey. We will offer a competitive environment for young players. We will create job opportunities for Fenerbahçe coaches. We also have a project to buy a team from abroad. This international agreement we will make will provide both transfer priority and an adaptation process to European football for the players we will bring from South America and Africa. We want to reach an agreement with an academy in West Africa. This will provide our Fenerbahçe with transfer priority regarding young talents. There is always talk about debts regarding finances. We need to generate new sources of income. We will acquire new lands that have never been in Fenerbahçe's history, 1 million square meters. We will establish Fenerbahçe GYO (Real Estate Investment Trust) and provide additional income to our club. Our Fenerbahçe has very important companies. Fenerium is one of them. We will need to evaluate the public offering issue," he said.

"From June 8 onwards, we will all chase the same colors."

Stating that he has a debt of service to Fenerbahçe, Hakan Safi said that they held consultations while forming his management list. Safi said, "Experienced names have guided us. We tried to touch everyone in this administration. I heard that you want to forgive the 'shadow president without a jacket' who said that no match-fixing incident has occurred in Turkey since 2011. Even if you forgive those who put their own interests before Fenerbahçe and resigned, our Fenerbahçe will not. We are one with everyone whose heart beats for Fenerbahçe. We have no intention of creating enemies. We are in an election today, but from June 8th onwards, we will all chase the same colors. I give my word on this very clearly. We lost the election in September, but my support did not diminish. I was not one of those who got offended and left. I was not one of those who turned their backs when money was needed. I will not be one until the end of my life. Our Fenerbahçe owes nothing to anyone. We have a debt of service to Fenerbahçe. If you favor me and elect me president, I will be at your service every second I am in office. My word is more valuable than money. What I have done is the guarantee of what I will do. I haven't even done anything for Fenerbahçe yet. You can imagine together what I will do when I become president. We have aspired to the future of Fenerbahçe. We are not after settling scores with the past. We will not complain about Fenerbahçe to Fenerbahçe fans. We will realize our power again and act as a single fist. We will be champions. I know very well how to make us champions. This time next year, we will come before you with the championship trophy. No one will be able to stop us," he concluded.