Response from Samsunspor to Barış Göktürk

Tensions between the Fenerbahçe and Samsunspor administrations are escalating following the Clubs Association Foundation meeting in Turkish football. Samsunspor issued a written statement in response to Fenerbahçe Vice President Barış Göktürk’s remarks directed at Club President Yüksel Yıldırım, in which he claimed that Yıldırım “does not represent a community.”

In the post shared via the club’s social media account, it was stated that the Samsunspor community and its fans felt deep sorrow over Barış Göktürk’s expressions, and the following statements were included:

''We view the remarks made by Fenerbahçe Sports Club Vice President Barış Göktürk regarding our Club President, Mr. Yüksel Yıldırım, stating that he “does not represent a community,” with regret. These expressions are not only directed at our President, Mr. Yüksel Yıldırım; they are an open disrespect toward Samsunspor, which is one of the most important communities in Turkish football with its 60-year deep-rooted history, large fan base, and the values it represents.''

Subsequently, the club’s statement underscored Samsunspor’s place in Turkish football and the efforts shown by President Yüksel Yıldırım on behalf of the club:

''No one has the right to question the greatness, representative power, and corporate identity of Samsunspor. The values represented by Samsunspor are indisputable with its history, struggle, fans, and contributions to Turkish football. The views expressed by our President, Mr. Yüksel Yıldırım, are constructive evaluations regarding the future of our club and Turkish football. The response to these views should not be insults, belittling expressions, or rhetoric targeting our community, but rather ideas and common sense.''

Another important message concerned the matter of interlocutors between the two clubs:

''On the other hand, we believe that these expressions do not represent the Fenerbahçe community; we think these unfortunate statements should be seen only as the personal evaluations of the individual in question. In this regard, we state that from now on, our interlocutor for evaluations made on behalf of Fenerbahçe Sports Club will only be Club President Mr. Aziz Yıldırım. We believe that approaches that will harm mutual respect and the common football culture between clubs will not benefit any community. As Samsunspor Club, we reject these statements directed at our President, Mr. Yüksel Yıldırım, and the Great Samsunspor Community; we respectfully inform the public that we stand by our President and our community.''