Tevfik Yamantürk, who attacked Hasan Arat, issues 'apology' statement

The 2025 2nd ordinary divan board meeting of the Beşiktaş Club has begun.

The meeting, held at the Istanbul Congress Center, was attended by the black-and-white club's president Serdal Adalı and board members, divan board president Tevfik Yamantürk, and divan board members.

Yamantürk had attacked former president Hasan Arat at the previous divan board meeting.

Making the opening speech of the meeting, Divan Board President Tevfik Yamantürk apologized to the black-and-white community for what happened, saying, "I apologize to my community. What happened on April 12 should not have happened. Whether he deserves it or not is not my business. I should not have been in that picture. I apologize from the heart, please accept it. I am apologizing to my community, not to the person in question."

Emphasizing that he has reached the end of his term, Yamantürk stressed that he would follow up on the debt incurred during the Arat era, stating, "Believe me, I will follow up on the 137 million euro debt incurred during his tenure as much as I can. I am making my final speech as divan president today. This journey began in 2017 with a phone call I received when it was not on my mind. You entrusted this duty to me and my friends. In 8 years, we completed our duty for our club with what we knew to be right. We tried to show that positions can be left behind and that the way should be paved for those who come after." he said.

Noting that they prioritized the interests of Beşiktaş over their own, Yamantürk added the following:

"Unfortunately, there have been 7 elections in our club during this process. This is instability, it is not right. We worked with 4 presidents. There will be an election in the divan board where 6 to 8 candidates will compete. This means that we have raised the reputation of the divan board so much that so many friends have become candidates for the divan. We had said that people without moral values should be kept away from Beşiktaş. Unfortunately, club management has become the easiest way to gain wealth and fame. The way to prevent this is in the hands of the community. People who do not feel a sense of belonging to Turkey need to be kept away from the community. If this does not happen, we might come to the club one morning and see that Arabic, Russian, or Chinese is being spoken. We thank you for entrusting this honorable position to me and my friends for 8 years. We kept the interests of Beşiktaş ahead of our own small interests."

News Source: AA