Hakan Safi speaks on the future of Fenerbahçe

Ahead of the elective general assembly to be held in June at Fenerbahçe Sports Club, presidential candidate Hakan Safi met with club members and fans in Bodrum. Safi was received with interest at the event held in Bitez and took photos with many members.

Inviting all members to vote before the congress, Safi stated, "Fenerbahçe supporters have always been a community that acts in the best interests of the club. I sincerely believe that this attitude will be displayed in the congress hall as well."

One of the most important agenda items was the allegations regarding penalties that have surfaced in recent days. Safi clarified the rumors about financial sanctions, particularly regarding the transfer of Kerem Aktürkoğlu. "It is being said that Fenerbahçe received a penalty due to the Kerem Aktürkoğlu transfer; this information is untrue. I am personally covering Kerem's entire salary, while our club pays the transfer fee. This arrangement has been in place for over a year, and I will continue to do so with my own resources for another three years," he said.

Pointing out that the club's financial strength as an administration is beyond dispute, Safi responded to the allegations by saying, "We have acted within the framework of the Turkish legal system and UEFA regulations. Following applications to UEFA by our internal rivals and certain circles, we provided all our information, and the process is closed. Such rumors harm Fenerbahçe."

Regarding recent criticisms about Fenerbahçe exceeding the UEFA spending limit, Safi explained the root cause of the issue with these words: "Our club exceeded the limit because it could not secure the inflow of funds by the desired date last season, and a penalty came onto the agenda. The background to this includes factors such as the rejection of certain items by majority vote at the September congress and the necessity of holding a new financial congress. Those who prevented the approval of these items that day should also take responsibility for this situation."

Underlining that they are developing comprehensive projects for Fenerbahçe in the short, medium, and long term, Safi said, "We do not see the championship goal as distant; in fact, we are very close. At the same time, we are working to establish a solid financial foundation that will carry our club to 2050. We will combine real estate investments with the purchase of one million square meters of land to create a permanent income for the club. Our plans to increase our revenue from 500 million euros to 1 billion euros are ready."

Stating that their intention to increase stadium capacity for the next season will also be implemented with realistic steps, Safi said, "The stadium project we announced last year aims to reach a capacity of 64,500. However, contrary to some promises, it is physically impossible to complete it by May."

Emphasizing that in his future vision, they aim to acquire pilot teams in five different regions to contribute to sporting success, Hakan Safi expressed that they are also in negotiations to purchase a team from Europe. He added that they would guide the development of young talents with an academy to be established in West Africa.

Stating that the rights of club employees will be protected and that premium imbalances between branches will be resolved, Safi expressed that they do not have an approach such as closing branches or budget cuts; on the contrary, they aim to contribute to Turkish sports by opening new branches.

In his speech, Safi also made evaluations regarding some of Fenerbahçe's past and present orientations. Emphasizing that they will bring in high-level star names in future player transfers, he said, "We will add two domestic national players and two or three world stars to our squad. We are coming to give all of Turkey a Fenerbahçe celebration."

After the meeting, Hakan Safi, who took souvenir photos with the members, emphasized that he would continue to give messages of transparency and unity during the election process.