Minister Osman Bak clarifies 'Champion Cimbom' remarks: They were distorted

The speech by Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Aslantepe Valley Project, which Galatasaray is preparing to implement with an investment of approximately 200 million dollars next to Rams Park, sparked reactions.

In his speech, Minister Bak said, "May our facility be beneficial. We will continue to work together for Turkish sports, for the Great Galatasaray, for champion Cimbom, and for the Turkish National Team."

At a time when the championship race in the league is ongoing, the minister's "Champion Cimbom" remarks drew intense reactions, particularly from Fenerbahçe fans.

HE SAID "CHAMPION CIMBOM" FOR THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM

AKP member Şamil Tayyar asked Minister Bak about the speech that caused the reactions during their meeting.

Tayyar noted the following regarding the meeting on his social media account:

“You have become a trending topic, everyone is talking about you, and there is also a lot of backlash; your saying 'champion Cimbom' while the league is ongoing is being criticized.” He first said that he was misunderstood.

He explained that while praising the successes of Turkish teams in Europe, he said “Champion Cimbom” by referring to the success of the CEV Cup Champion Galatasaray Women's Volleyball Team. When I reminded him again, “This statement of yours is being associated with the Super League competition,” he stated that it was definitely not related to the league and that his words were distorted.

As for my opinion: When the speech is evaluated as a whole, he might be right. However, if a sports minister takes the microphone in the football world, where the fiercest competition takes place, he must act knowing that different meanings can be attributed to every word, tone of voice, and every facial expression and gesture.

Especially if one is speaking with excitement and in a loud voice, this need for care and attention increases even more.

In exams, four wrong answers cancel out one right answer; in politics, one wrong move cancels out all the right ones.

I think it would be beneficial for our minister to come together with the sports community to clarify his speech and, if necessary, make a correction by apologizing. Humbly..."

Gençlik ve Spor Bakanımız Osman Aşkın Bak’la görüştüm, tartışmaya ve tepkilere yol açan ifadelerini sordum.

Dedim:

“TT olmuşsunuz, herkes sizi konuşuyor, ayrıca çok tepki var, lig devam ederken şampiyon cimbom demeniz eleştiriliyor”

Öncelikle yanlış anlaşıldığını söyledi.… pic.twitter.com/7r9ZiHwSTw

— Şamil Tayyar (@samiltayyar27) April 23, 2026

News Source: 12punto