29.05.2025 18:01
The former president of Fenerbahçe, Aziz Yıldırım, made important statements regarding current issues. Aziz Yıldırım expressed that he would run for president if 16,465 signatures are collected; otherwise, he would not be a candidate.
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Former Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yıldırım made important statements regarding current issues. Aziz Yıldırım responded to claims that he would be a candidate for the presidency of Fenerbahçe, stating that he would run if he could gather 16,465 signatures, which is one more than the 16,464 votes President Ali Koç received in the last election; otherwise, he would not run.
Here are Aziz Yıldırım's statements;
''Dear congress members, dear Fenerbahçe supporters,
First of all, I congratulate the champion Fenerbahçe Beko, which has once again brought the Euroleague Cup to our country, and I would like to thank all our managers, President Mr. Ali Koç, our athletes, technical teams, and club professionals who contributed to the championships in our other branches.
It has become necessary to make a statement to inform the public that the news and various speculations involving my name have occurred without my knowledge and consent, and to put an end to these speculations.
Today, Fenerbahçe's main issue is not the cups that cannot be won, but the lost resilience, hope, and the acceptance of being an ordinary sports club. This situation is a state of numbness that the Fenerbahçe supporters, who are the symbol of resistance and the young spirit of independence, must oppose and, if necessary, rebel against. Fenerbahçe does not accept any defeat in advance and cannot consider any situation other than leadership as success. Because Fenerbahçe is a spirit that has become a symbol of resistance while the homeland is being undermined from within.
Fenerbahçe has neither the time nor the energy to waste on internal club discussions. Today, Fenerbahçe's only need is to break free from the atmosphere of surrender known as losing without playing and to rise for victories that will transcend the borders of Turkey.
It is not I or the current managers who will decide whether the administrations are successful or not, but our congress members and supporters.
Within our community, it has been observed that calls have been made for an election congress to be held at the request of the administration, to renew the administration's confidence, or to elect a new administration. Our club president, Mr. Ali Koç, has expressed to the public and to me in our private conversation that they will hold a congress in September in response to these calls. In this conversation, I expressed my opinion that if a congress is to be held, it should be done without delay, before September, and I present this thought to our community in this statement as well.
On this occasion, I believe that I have a responsibility to respond to the calls and efforts for me to take responsibility and to run for club presidency to end our club's long-standing championship drought.
I am a Fenerbahçe president who opens the doors of our club to all Fenerbahçeliler, institutionalizing the spread of membership to a broad base. I am committed to the traditions of the club and to our internal democracy. I have not shied away from taking responsibility, nor will I. But I will never stoop to the absurdity of taking it upon myself to act on my own.
Our community will have no doubt that Aziz Yıldırım is a Fenerbahçeli who approaches the situation with this spirit, whether as president or as a simple member.
Of course, our board of directors has the right to postpone the extraordinary general assembly decision to September, and this is legitimate.
However, it is also a right and legitimate for our congress members, who have lost their trust in the administration, to call the congress to duty by collecting signatures.
The truth I wish to be known regarding myself in these discussions is as follows:
Being a party to any divisive discussion within our community is a stance I will never adopt. Therefore, I should not be expected to take it upon myself in the current situation. I have no desire to engage in a polemic with the administration or with anyone else from our community. In short, I am not a rival to anyone; I am Fenerbahçe itself.
Just as I am not a rival to anyone, I do not feel any obligation to enter into a competition with anyone. I believe I have demonstrated my sense of responsibility towards Fenerbahçe in previous congresses as a candidate.
This attitude is not an evasion of responsibility; on the contrary, it is responsible behavior.
As will be remembered, the current administration was elected with 16,464 votes in the election race in which I was also involved.
Nevertheless, if our community believes that I should take responsibility in the current situation, they must substantiate this call with a document showing one more than the vote received by the elected current administration, which is 16,464 + 1.
Those who invite me to take responsibility or accuse me of avoiding taking responsibility must demonstrate to themselves and to me that democratic legitimacy is fully and completely established with 16,464 + 1 signatures.
Only then do I want it to be known that I will exist with all my being, just as I put everything on the line yesterday, in the struggle against Fenerbahçe's enemies tomorrow, without blinking an eye.
Because even if we are on the gallows, our first word and our last word is Fenerbahçe.''
Respectfully,
Aziz YILDIRIM
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