29.04.2025 19:00
Ali Koç, the President of Fenerbahçe and the Clubs Union Foundation, announced a groundbreaking decision made at the Clubs Union Foundation meeting. Stating that the Super League AŞ will be established, Koç said, "Why is this important? It may not have immediate activities, but clubs want to have a say in their own interests. We are going through a period where Turkish football needs to reinvent itself."
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Fenerbahçe and the President of the Clubs Union Foundation, Ali Koç, made striking statements after the Clubs Union Foundation meeting. Announcing the decisions made, Koç revealed their initiative for the Super League.
"SUPER LEAGUE A.Ş. WILL BE ESTABLISHED"
Ali Koç, who announced the establishment of Super League A.Ş., said, "We determined who will represent us in the Advisory Board. One of the most important gains of today is the decision to establish the League AŞ. It was established in the past, but it was not sufficient at that time. It operated for 1-2 years. Now we have adopted a different model. What is important here is the teams that are promoted and relegated. Why is this important? They may not have activities in the short term, but clubs want to have a say in their own interests. We have no say in the matters that deeply affect us. Super League AŞ, whether it is called League AŞ or not, do not get hung up on that. A lot of steps need to be taken and legal regulations need to be made before we get there. If the federation and clubs work together, the Ankara part will be easier. We are going through a period where Turkish football needs to reinvent itself, with the football constitution, our new company we decided on, and legal changes," he said.
"149 TEAMS SHOULD BE RELEGATED"
Stating that there are too many teams in the leagues, Ali Koç said, "We have taken a step towards managing Turkish football a bit closer to the West. The clubs believe that 149 teams are not beneficial. Whatever happens, the criteria need to be determined and they need to be reduced," he expressed.
TURKISH CUP AND SUPER CUP TENDER
Ali Koç stated that they discussed many issues in Turkish football, saying, "We went over the development leagues and examined them. We reviewed the format of the Turkish Cup and the Super Cup. The Turkish Cup was extended for 1 year, and now it will go to tender. We do not know if it will be extended or not. Since there will be a new tender, we thought about what will happen. The Super Cup format is a four-team system left over from the previous federation. We consulted on those. The match schedule is very busy, and there were concerns about it being in January," he explained.
"EVERYONE IS SATISFIED WITH THE FOREIGN PLAYER RULE"
In response to a question about the foreign player rule, Ali Koç stated, "It is not even called the foreign player rule; we discussed the suitability committee in football. Overall, it is well planned, but we need changes in some areas. A 5-year plan should be presented to us, and everyone should make their plans accordingly. Generally, everyone is satisfied with the foreign player rule. There is the 2003-2004 rule. We will discuss with the federation that it should not be a one-season rule," he said.
FOREIGN VAR REFEREE
Speaking about the foreign VAR referee, Ali Koç said, "Regarding VAR, let me say this, we did not vote, but the general opinion is that foreign VAR should continue and it should meet certain criteria. We discussed that there are some names that are far from what we requested, based on the difficulties we experienced in recent weeks. It is something that is being tried for the first time, and we should also mention its benefits. Foreign VAR should continue; whether it will or not, I think it should," he stated.
TURKISH REFEREES
Regarding Turkish referees, Ali Koç said, "Our federation has the idea of fresh blood, young people. Chronic individuals need to be distanced from the system. We need to come to an environment where we do not question intentions when we all make mistakes," he expressed.
"WE MUST ADAPT TURKISH FOOTBALL TO THE SYSTEMS IN EUROPE"
Ali Koç also stated, "Look at Europe, everything is changing. We have entered a completely different environment. Technology is changing, everything is changing. Our duty now is to adapt Turkish football to the systems we see in Europe," he explained.
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