Harsh words from Rıza Çalımbay! 'Beşiktaş has a stance, some did not stand that way'

Holding a press conference at the Turkish Sports Writers Association headquarters in Levent, Çalımbay stated that he grew up in the Beşiktaş youth academy, which he described as very important to him, and that he only wore the black-and-white jersey throughout his playing career.

Explaining the process of his arrival at Beşiktaş, Rıza Çalımbay recalled that he started the job upon the invitation of the club's former president, Ahmet Nur Çebi, and said, "I am a Beşiktaş fan. When Beşiktaş is in need, I will gladly do whatever I can. This time it was a bit complicated. In the conversation I had with Ahmet Nur Çebi, the duration was until the congress. I accepted. I definitely did not talk about money or anything like that. After that, I started my duty. He already wanted 3 matches, and we got through those 3 matches very well. In the meantime, presidential candidates Hasan Arat and Serdal Adalı emerged. I met with officials from both teams. Both said, 'We will continue with coach Rıza.' After Hasan Arat became president, we continued our duty," he assessed.

Rıza Çalımbay emphasized that they had set the duration of the contract they made with Ahmet Nur Çebi until June 2024, and continued his words as follows:

"However, they also put a clause there saying, 'The newly arriving management can terminate it within 15 days.' When Samet [Aybaba] and Feyyaz Uçar arrived, we continued on our path. One of the things I was most saddened by was that during this time, many things were appearing in the press, but not a single person came and said, 'Rıza Çalımbay is our manager, we will go all the way.' The situation was already understood there. One of the things I was saddened by was that I never met with Hasan Arat. We didn't even talk. Then, with 2 matches left, they wanted to extend my contract. I am not a coach for 2 matches, 5 matches, or one month. I am someone who coaches very well. I am someone who has achieved many successes. But I took the risk only because it was Beşiktaş."

Explaining that they decided to continue after his meeting with Beşiktaş Football Teams General Coordinator Samet Aybaba, Çalımbay noted the following:

"They told me, 'Coach, let's play the 2 matches, then we will sit down with you and make our contract again.' I said, 'I trust you.' When we went to the Lugano match, they sent word to my lawyer behind my back. They said, 'If you don't sign the contract, we will terminate it.' This was one of the things I was very saddened by. They sent such a thing while I was at the match. I didn't tell anyone about this so that Beşiktaş wouldn't be harmed. Then we went to the matches. Yesterday's match was also one of the best matches we played. We made very obvious individual mistakes. After the match ended, I was at the facility. First, they said Feyyaz Uçar, Samet [Aybaba], and an executive would come. Then we saw that Feyyaz and Samet didn't come. Three executives came. I talked to them. They wanted to end it that night. I said, 'I will hold a meeting tomorrow and leave.' They insisted, and I did not accept. They had already made an announcement saying, 'We have parted ways.'"

"I was not involved in the exclusion of the players from the squad"

Rıza Çalımbay stated that the black-and-white players Vincent Aboubakar, Valentin Rosier, Eric Bailly, Rachid Ghezzal, and Jean Onana were excluded from the squad without his consultation, saying, "Samet Aybaba called me. He said, 'We have excluded 5 players from the squad.' I wasn't there; they were doing it. I asked who it was, and he told me their names. I was not involved in the exclusion of the players from the squad," he said.

When asked why he did not leave his post after this development, the experienced manager replied, "Among those 5 people, there were players I also wanted. There were players we were having trouble with there. I have never excluded anyone from the squad in the clubs I have worked for. When that happened, I said, 'It can happen.'"

Regarding the question about Portuguese player Gedson Fernandes not being able to take part in the Alanyaspor match, Çalımbay assessed, "We call the doctor before the matches. We ask about the status of the injured players. He told us that Gedson could play. Then I called him and said, 'Are you ready? We need to play you in this match.' He told me, 'I played three times before in this condition, and I got injured again.' Then I told Samet [Aybaba]. He also talked to him. So, he could have played, but he didn't play due to the fear of getting injured."

"I have no regrets"

Rıza Çalımbay expressed that he has no resentment toward the Beşiktaş community, stating, "I am a Beşiktaş fan. I am not like those who go and play for other clubs and then return. I also turn a blind eye to some things. Beşiktaş has a stance; I stood that way, but some did not. I have no regrets. Even if they asked me now, I would go again. I explained it a moment ago. Things that shouldn't have happened, happened," he expressed.

The experienced manager said, "If I had come at the beginning of the season, the Beşiktaş team would have been very different," and continued his speech as follows:

"One of the most important things for teams is the preparation period. We didn't do any of that. When we arrived, there were at least 10 injured players. Coach Şenol Güneş is an experienced coach. He is not someone who would make players do excessive things. We are the same. When we got there, we couldn't push the players. We just talked and tried to make them happy. There were those who got injured at the slightest thing. For example, I didn't want to play the Club Brugge match at all. Because there were no players. I played a lot of players who didn't have a place. After we arrived, everyone worked quite well. The Club Brugge and Fenerbahçe matches did not go well for us."

Stating that he could not find enough time at the black-and-white team, Çalımbay expressed that Beşiktaş can only get out of this situation with good transfers.

"Samet Aybaba and Feyyaz Uçar did not call me"

Explaining that he was left alone while doing his job, Çalımbay said, "Instead of the executives who came to talk to me, I would have liked Samet Aybaba and Feyyaz to come. Neither of them came, and neither of them called me. I signed the contract trusting them, but unfortunately, they didn't come there. This was one of the things I was most saddened by," he expressed.

Stating that he met with club president Hasan Arat when he came to meet the players, Çalımbay said, "We greeted each other there too. There was nothing like, 'Coach, how is the team going, is there anything? Let's do this, let's do that.' It seems interesting to me. He didn't talk to me," he said.

Stating that he is respectful to President Hasan Arat and the executives and that he expects respect from them as well, Çalımbay said, "My advice to them is, if you are hiring a coach, you need to stand behind him. If you don't stand behind him, he remains alone. I was definitely left alone," he said.

Explaining that he met more with Serdal Adalı during the presidential race, Çalımbay said that he did not have any negative thoughts or statements regarding Burak Yılmaz, who served at Beşiktaş before him.

Emphasizing that he could provide a report on the team's situation if the new manager to come wants it, Çalımbay noted the following:

"Just as we respect people, they need to respect us. Especially if someone who has come from their own community is the manager, they need to protect him. Hasan Arat himself says, 'Beşiktaş will be managed by Beşiktaş fans.' Well, we were Beşiktaş fans. I just asked them for support. Let's see what happens to the team if you give that support for 6-7 months. We played 5-6 league matches. Have you seen a manager leave in so many matches? That's why they need to protect the friend who is coming."

"I apologize to Mert Günok"

Rıza Çalımbay stated that he used an incorrect expression regarding goalkeeper Mert Günok at the press conference held after the Corendon Alanyaspor match they played yesterday in the Super Lig, saying, "We were very angry at the match. Maybe it was one of the best matches we played. Unfortunately, the goals we conceded did not suit us at all. Mert's name was mentioned in the things I said. I didn't say it with bad intentions. Mert is a very principled friend of ours, a very good goalkeeper. He is also the goalkeeper of the national team. Therefore, I apologize to him," he said.

Thanking the black-and-white fans for their support, the experienced manager said, "I came during a troubled period. We had good days with our fellow players. I thank them very much as well," he expressed.

News Source: 12punto