31.05.2026 16:01
Former Fenerbahçe President and presidential candidate Aziz Yıldırım stated that Alex de Souza could be assigned a role if needed. He also announced that they have agreed in principle on the transfer of two strikers and will prepare a 5-10 year vision program.
Former Fenerbahçe President and Presidential Candidate Aziz Yıldırım, as part of his Kocaeli program, met with congress members and yellow-navy blue fans at a hotel in the İzmit district.
"WE WILL ESTABLISH ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS" Responding to a fan's question about the role of the club's legendary footballer Oğuz Çetin in the new management structure, Yıldırım said, "Oğuz Çetin is a person who has taken his place in Fenerbahçe history and whom fans have nicknamed 'The Emperor.' Oğuz Çetin does not stand out. Our former athletes have such a tradition. They never want to show themselves; they stay in the background. Coach Oğuz is one of them. He is the one who issues diplomas to all coaches who receive them from the federation, trains and teaches them, but he stays in the background and is not seen. Because he doesn't come forward, he seems nonexistent. Captain Oğuz will be responsible for sports within this system. We haven't named it yet; we will discuss it together; he is currently working. He is the one in charge of football intelligence now. We will form a structure with the friends on the board, and he will be responsible for it. We will also work on scouting. We will carry out an operation and regulation regarding this. When I spoke with little Şenol last night, I also said this: let former athletes come together, let's form a team from them, and scan every corner of the world. Let's start now, and have them report after one year. Let future administrations after us also benefit from this. We will establish all of these systems."
"TWO STRIKERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK, WE HAVE AGREED IN PRINCIPLE" Stating that success will come if there is unity and togetherness, Yıldırım continued his words as follows:
"We have missed playing in Europe, we have missed the Champions League music. We need to recreate these. We will forget the past, leave it behind. We will look ahead with a new line. I will make all preparations, I am telling you. We will sit down with friends; we will discuss what a committee will do. Here, we will prepare Fenerbahçe's 5-10 year vision program. We will turn it into a file. Let those who come after us also benefit from this. What does it include? Player tracking programs, Fenerbahçe's needs in facility development, what needs to be done this year, player acquisitions, and studies related to the financial budget system. We need to make 5 and 10-year plans for these. We are going without a plan, without a program. Your budget is 350 million, while European teams' budgets are 1 billion. You cannot compete. Because football is played with good players. If there is no quality, you cannot play. That's why we won't rush. Two strikers will be announced this week; we have agreed in principle. The transfer is almost complete; I'm not naming names to avoid offending anyone. We have agreed in principle with both valuable players. Our friends are also negotiating with their clubs. It will happen this week; we will announce it next week, no problem. We will also make some transfers to other areas. The friends we call our football intelligence are working. The issue here is this: there is a right to 14 foreign players. We have over 20, I think 21 foreign players. With new transfers, the number reaches 23-25. We need to reduce that to 14. There is a somewhat difficult situation, but we will overcome it. We are also looking at domestic players. If suitable, we will transfer them as well. We aim to have everything finished by June 20-25. Perhaps for the first time, we will become a team ready for the Champions League and the league. However, there is the World Cup. If transfers are made from there, some players may be delayed. Let me also mention that."
ALEX STATEMENT Responding to a question about whether former captain Alex de Souza would be involved in the new structure, Aziz Yıldırım said, "8 years ago, they brought Alex and used him as election propaganda in the lounges. They haven't given Alex any duty for 8 years. We have no problem; if necessary, if he needs to come, if there is a need, with pleasure."