Mehmet Büyükekşi responds to İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu's 'corruption' allegations

Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu took aim at the former TFF administration during a television program he attended.

4 MILLION 681 THOUSAND EUROS FOR GUEST ACCOMMODATION

Stating that the former administration under Mehmet Büyükekşi spent 4 million 681 thousand euros on guest accommodation after EURO 2024 ended, Hacıosmanoğlu said, "They said there were guests who stayed for another 2-3 days after the European Championship ended. They also stayed in very luxurious places. The championship is over, why are you staying?"

IRREGULARITY AT THE FINANCIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Hacıosmanoğlu stated that there were irregularities at the TFF Financial General Assembly and expressed the following:

''The financial general assembly was held. They presented a financial statement at the Financial General Assembly that appeared to be 5 million euros in the black. When we examined it, we found they had manipulated the financial statements to arrive at this figure. They are normally 272 million in the red.

I asked the financial director about the issue, I asked how you did this. He said there were already problems and we shouldn't have issues with the release of liability. Afterwards, we terminated this person's employment.''

Mehmet Büyükekşi responded to Hacıosmanoğlu's allegations. The following statements were included in the written statement:

"This statement has become necessary due to the TFF President's baseless allegations targeting our term of office through the media.

When the Turkish Football Federation's financial statements are examined by individuals with financial literacy expertise, it will be seen that the income and expenditure tables were prepared in accordance with the procedures. Nevertheless, we present the following explanation to present the facts to the public.

The aforementioned baseless allegations were presented under two main headings:

- TFF expenditures during the European Championship process

- TFF being shown as indebted.

1 - Our A National Team, which participated in the European Football Championship by finishing as the leader of its group for the first time in its history, advanced to the quarter-finals after 16 years; its budget during the preparation process and the tournament was meticulously planned and executed.

The mentioned budget includes the matches played away against Italy and Poland at the beginning of June, and the transportation, accommodation, health, and the costs of the security personnel assigned by our State responsible for the safety of our A National Football Team during the camp and tournament in Germany between June 11 and July 8.

The camp facilities were determined by UEFA. The camp cost was also collected by UEFA from the national federations. The remaining part of the total cost covers the transportation and accommodation expenses of sponsor representatives, club presidents, sports community representatives, and federation professionals on duty, within the scope of their rights arising from their contracts.

2 - The first fact that should be known so that the responsible persons do not mislead the public with unfair accusations is this:

TFF cannot incur debt due to its status. It is not legally possible for it to incur debt. It generates income and covers its expenses. Financial general assemblies are released of liability accordingly, and our administration was released of liability.

During our term; broadcasting revenues were increased by approximately two times; the number of sponsors and sponsorship revenue were increased by 4 times.

TFF resources were used effectively and efficiently entirely for sporting purposes, in accordance with the TFF status and by obtaining the legal opinion of the legal counsel.

In view of the reasons presented and explained above; all kinds of legal remedies will be sought regarding the baseless allegations and the defamation process aimed at distorting the truth.

Both legal and private individuals who insult through incomplete, false, and baseless allegations will likewise be the subject of legal processes. We respectfully present this to the information of the public."