Reaction to Ali Koç's candidacy: Are the obstacles to the championship being removed?

The Fenerbahçe Volunteers Association has shared a noteworthy statement regarding Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç, who has decided to run for candidacy again in the upcoming election.

The statement included the following remarks: "Mr. Ali Koç, who said a few months ago, 'As long as I am President, they will not let Fenerbahçe be the champion,' has become a candidate again. He must present the justifications for this decision to the community. Or are the 'obstacles to our championship' being removed? What will he do that he hasn't been able to do in 6 years that will result in us becoming champions?"

The statement made by the Fenerbahçe Volunteers Association is as follows:

"We could not understand this vision.

Mr. Ali Koç had made certain promises to the community before the general assembly held on June 5, 2018, and during his election speech. His most important promise was to carry Fenerbahçe to where it deserves to be, that is, to the top. He even told the fans; 'Take off your flags, your jerseys. You will walk the streets with your heads held high from now on. I promise you a Fenerbahçe you will be proud of.' Indeed, the promises made were dazzling...

So let's look at what happened next.

Our long-standing undefeated streaks against our eternal rivals in our own stadium have ended one by one.

Mr. Koç, who said when he took office, 'The gap between our championship titles and our eternal rival has doubled. This is unacceptable,' is about to see this gap widen to 5 in the 6 years that have passed. He said they had a pool of 100 players in Europe and that transfers would be made from this pool, but we haven't seen any such pool.

Mr. Ali Koç, who is about to finish his 6th year in the presidency, has changed 11 coaches during this time and transferred nearly 10 new players on average every year. Some players were sent away without even training. Yet, in his election campaign, he had said, 'There will never be frequent coaching changes, and high-cost, last-minute transfers of players at the end of their careers will never be made.'

Mr. Koç, who promised a modern and transparent management, only talked about the club's debts in his 'Addressing the Community' programs. He blamed all his failures on previous administrations. He was always the victim, after all. His constant rhetoric such as 'Our club is in a quagmire, we cannot breathe,' etc., caused our shares traded on the stock exchange to hit rock bottom. Perhaps he was not even aware of how much he was belittling and weakening our club and throwing it to the wolves with such statements.

Unfortunately, he also failed in communication. He never tolerated criticism. He labeled those who criticized him, especially on social media, with terms like 'insincere fans' or 'Norwegians.' Fenerbahçe fans have never been this divided in their history. He 'fired from the club,' in his own words, people who had served the club for years.

He did not hesitate to throw players and coaches in front of the fans. According to him, the reason for the failure was either the players or the coaches. I wonder who was transferring the coach and the players!!!

Our stadium's name was going to be changed to 'Atatürk,' but no steps have been taken on this matter yet. There is not the slightest development regarding the championships before 1959. A complex was going to be built on the Kenan Evren High School land, but not a single nail was driven.

The Fenerbahçe College, which was established to raise a generation of Atatürk-loving Fenerbahçe supporters loyal to the secular Republic and kept alive with great sacrifices, was transferred to an education group, and the naming rights of the Fenerbahçe University, which is a continuation of this institution, were transferred to a health group.

Finally, with a decision made in anger, our congress members were 'insistently' called to the stadium to authorize the withdrawal of the football team from the league. The end of the day was a complete disappointment. An 'extraordinary general assembly scandal' took place, where tens of thousands of delegates felt used, turning into a birthday celebration and a show of strength. This meeting did no harm to anyone outside our club. The mountain labored and brought forth a mouse; no radical decision could be taken. Even though the vast majority of the delegates voted in favor of 'not appearing in the Super Cup match at all,' somehow a decision came from the Board of Trustees to 'appear in the match with the U19 team.' As a result of the unplanned, unprogrammed general assembly decision taken without considering the consequences, our football branch suffered a heavy blow.

First of all, our players, who were unsure whether they would play in the Olympiacos quarter-final match and were already mentally exhausted from the Trabzon match, waited 15 days for the general assembly to be held. Concentration was lost. As a result, we first lost the Super Cup, then we were eliminated from the Conference League. We had already been eliminated from the Turkish Cup. At the end of 6 years, we only have one Turkish Cup in our hands. And a league championship that is left to miracles. The failure here is not sporting, but a failure in management. What remains at the end of the process is a sad, tense, and weary fan base, and demoralized, resentful, and fragile players. On top of all this, astonishing news hits the agenda.

'Ali Koç is a candidate again'

Mr. Koç, who said a few months ago, 'As long as I am president, they will not let Fenerbahçe be the champion,' has become a candidate again.

It is impossible for us to know what reasons lie behind this decision. He must present the justifications for this decision to the community. Or are the 'obstacles to our championship' being removed?

It is the right of all Fenerbahçe supporters to know this:

What will he do that he hasn't been able to do in 6 years that will result in us becoming champions?

Final word:

Mr. Ali Koç; we did not understand the Fenerbahçe of your dreams 6 years ago, and at the point we have reached, we still do not understand it.'"