Statement from Samsunspor regarding Musaba

Samsunspor Deputy Chairman Veysel Bilen made notable remarks while evaluating Fenerbahçe's agreement with Anthony Musaba.

Speaking at a press conference at the Nuri Asan Facilities, Bilen stated that it was quite normal for a player to say, "I want to activate my release clause during the mid-season break," and continued as follows:

"This is not the first time something like this has happened. However, when you conduct all these negotiations behind the scenes while there are people who trust and believe in you... Then we learn that a marriage had been arranged in secret several matches ago, just waiting for the official formalities. You have carried this out entirely in the background. The agent primarily responsible for this has received a negative mark in our eyes. Secondly, the person responsible for this is Musaba. Because as a player, even if he didn't share it with his agent, he should have shared it with his manager, coach, or sporting director, who approached him with fatherly affection. He did not do this.

This is not the first time a player has left Samsunspor, and it won't be the last. Another player will come in his place. However, the way he left, not showing up for the final training session, and not informing his coach, has saddened us. Our fans are rightfully saying, 'The behavior of the Fenerbahçe club is not right,' and they are reacting. They are completely justified, but we must distinguish one thing. Both the Samsunspor community, the Fenerbahçe community, and all club communities are communities that deserve respect. When those who manage them act incorrectly, one should not blame the communities themselves. Our chairman also pointed this out in his recent statement. In other words, he said, 'When those responsible for this matter in Fenerbahçe's management do not show this approach, it would not be right to attribute this to the entire Fenerbahçe community or the Fenerbahçe Club.' I do not think it is right to pit the two communities against each other. But was it done incorrectly? It was done incorrectly. Is it flawed? It is flawed. The ones who made this mistake are the agent, the player, and the executive or executives currently responsible for this matter at Fenerbahçe."

"IT HAPPENED IN 6 MONTHS"

Bilen stated that they had acquired Musaba 6 months ago and continued:

"This means that in 6 months, Samsunspor has reached a position where it can, in a sense, showcase and sell a player. For the first time in about 20 years, Samsunspor is selling a player for a significant fee. I think it is a management success, a success of our chairman, that for the first time in 20 years, a player has been sold by polishing him and bringing significant income to the club. We should also look at the full side of the glass like this. Samsunspor has once again taken a step in its management approach, based on the philosophy of 'How do I maintain a balanced budget' by showcasing players almost every season. We are also experiencing the justified pride of having brought to life the image that 'Samsunspor is a watched club, a successful club.' Therefore, I ask our fans to evaluate this event in this way, but I wish this transfer had been concluded within ethical rules. May Musaba be happy in the team he has gone to."

Bilen noted that they would not be filing a complaint against Musaba and Fenerbahçe with the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) or the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).