04.06.2026 23:30
Fenerbahçe Presidential Candidate Aziz Yıldırım made statements days before the election at the yellow-navy club. Explaining his conversation with Aykut Kocaman, Aziz Yıldırım said, 'I spoke with Aykut Kocaman before announcing my candidacy; I said we would talk depending on the election result. However, I did not make a promise. We are meeting with foreigners and conducting research. We have not discussed the technical director with the management; after winning, we will sit down in the first week, decide, and announce it.'
Before the upcoming congress at Fenerbahçe, presidential candidate Aziz Yıldırım made statements on beIN Sports. Stating that they have formed a strong management pool and will combine his experience with this team, Yıldırım gave important messages to the community on many issues, from the technical directorate to transfer claims, from the stadium project to the loss in 2018.
''IN 2018, THE STANDS WERE DIVIDED, THEY MADE UP COCU''
Evaluating the process in 2018 when he lost the presidency, Yıldırım criticized, "We lost the championship that period because the stands were divided into two, constant resignation slogans were chanted. Those who came afterward brought someone named Phillip Cocu, made up stories of wrapping him in a carpet, but they couldn't manage this job."
STAR PLAYER AND TRANSFER POLICY
Emphasizing that he believes in collective success rather than names in team engineering, Aziz Yıldırım gave legendary player Alex de Souza as an example: "The issue is not getting a star name, but building the right team. Was Alex a world-class star when he came here? No. With his performance here, he became everyone's favorite and turned into a star."
''I WON'T TAKE LUIS SUAREZ''
Also touching on the current transfer rumors, the presidential candidate said that the name Luis Suarez is far down the list and that the claimed costs of 80 million Euros are untrue. Stating that he will personally talk to goalkeeper Ederson to find out if there is any issue, Yıldırım said, "There are players we are in contact with. If the other side wins the election, they can go and take those names. We can also add names they have agreed with, which will sit well with the community, to the squad. The important thing is not to be in a position of promising and not being able to deliver."
STADIUM PROJECT
Stating that they aim to increase the capacity of Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Yıldırım heralded the massive project with these words: "With a budget of approximately 50 million dollars, we can increase the stadium's capacity to 64 thousand. Nihat Özdemir is very ambitious on this matter; he says that if the necessary legal permits are obtained, he will complete the work in 11 months. By raising the roof by 8 meters, we will add new seats to the gaps that will form. We plan to start this project immediately after the election."
''I MET WITH AYKUT KOCAMAN''
Touching on the technical director issue, Aziz Yıldırım said, "The football mind at our top will be Emperor Oğuz Çetin. He is working with his team. I met with Aykut Kocaman before announcing my candidacy; I said, 'We'll talk depending on the election result.' But I did not make a promise. We are meeting with foreigners, conducting research. We haven't discussed the technical director with the management; after we win, we will sit down in the first week and make a decision, and announce it."