28.06.2026 16:10
Fenerbahçe Vice President Barış Göktürk made statements regarding the argument he had with Samsunspor President Yüksel Yıldırım during the Clubs Union meeting the other day. Reacting to Yüksel Yıldırım, Barış Göktürk said, 'Who dares to remove the Fenerbahçe Club Vice President from the WhatsApp group? The Clubs Union is not an institution above us. The Clubs Union exists to serve us.'
Fenerbahçe Club Vice President Barış Göktürk stated that what happened at the Clubs Union Foundation meeting stayed there and that they will not make any new evaluations on this matter. Barış Göktürk made statements to an AA reporter at the Veliefendi Hippodrome before the Gazi Race, the derby of Turkish horse racing.
''MAY ALL HORSES RUN TRUE'' Stating that his horse cannot compete in the Gazi Race this season due to an injury, Barış Göktürk said, "May all horses run true. The Gazi Race is very important. We had the chance to run twice but couldn't win in the last two years. We can't run this year. This year we are spectators. We came as fans. We have a traditional saying, 'May the horses that run run true.' We also have many racehorses; it's a family tradition. Hopefully, they will be successful."
''CELEBRATING LIKE THIS EVERY YEAR IS WONDERFUL'' Referring to the importance of the Gazi Race for Turkey, Barış Göktürk said, "The Gazi Race is an organization that strives to elevate Turkey to the level of contemporary civilizations. It is a pride for our country. It's a very important race, like the Kentucky Derby. Therefore, we are at a very important organization for Turkish horse racing. Celebrating the Gazi Race like this every year is wonderful. I hope it continues like this forever, uninterrupted."
''WHAT HAPPENED THERE STAYED THERE FOR US'' Stating that they did not make a statement after the Clubs Union Foundation meeting, Göktürk said, "We did not make a statement after the Clubs Union Foundation meeting. What happened there stayed there for us. Therefore, we are not discussing it again. We didn't talk about it afterwards either, and we didn't give any information to the press. We are not pursuing such a thing. Fenerbahçe has weight. Fenerbahçe speaks when it needs to speak. I already had the necessary conversation with the necessary person at the meeting. Did you see us talking? No. We didn't make a speech. We didn't make a statement. We didn't make any claims or statements before or after. Fenerbahçe gives the necessary answer to the necessary person, in the necessary place. It already did. Therefore, there is no need to dwell on this or talk about it again."
''THAT GENTLEMAN DOES NOT REPRESENT A COMMUNITY'' Göktürk stated that Fenerbahçe is a publicly traded company and noted the following:
"Fenerbahçe is a giant community with 35 million fans. Fenerbahçe is Turkey's largest sports club. Perhaps, together with its other branches, it is the world's largest sports club. Therefore, Fenerbahçe is a publicly held institution that belongs to the public. We are also Turkey's largest non-governmental organization. Everything about us is transparent and public. We already publish our reports, which have passed International Financial Reporting Standards, on the Public Disclosure Platform every three months. How much tax we pay is open and transparent. Closed companies don't declare it. That gentleman does not represent a community. He is the boss of a joint-stock company. As the boss of that joint-stock company, he can declare the tax he pays to the public. We are entirely corporate and transparent. Go online, check the Public Disclosure Platform, look at the investor balance sheets. What would we declare to the Ministry? Doesn't the Ministry already know who pays how much tax? Doesn't our state see it with a single click? These are not meaningful statements; they are populist rhetoric. We already expressed at that meeting that these are populist and not meaningful statements."
''WHO WOULD DARE?'' Stating that he was not removed from the Clubs Union WhatsApp group, Göktürk explained, "Can such a thing happen? Who would dare to remove the Vice President of Fenerbahçe Club from a WhatsApp group? The Clubs Union is not an authority over us. The Clubs Union exists to serve us. Fenerbahçe Club is the largest sports club in Turkey. It is also the largest sports club in the world. Can such a thing happen? As the Vice President of Fenerbahçe Club, I feel the weight of my 35 million fans on my shoulders, and I am obliged to elevate and uphold their reputation. I do what is necessary where it is necessary."
''I CAN ATTEND IF I WANT, OR NOT ATTEND IF I DON'T'' Regarding future Clubs Union meetings, Barış Göktürk assessed, "I can attend if I want, or not attend if I don't. It's at the President's discretion. Fenerbahçe Club will send whoever it deems appropriate to the Clubs Union meeting, or it may not attend at all. This is at the discretion of Fenerbahçe Club. Our President, Aziz Yıldırım, will make the necessary statements on these matters when he deems it necessary, but we don't need such a thing at the moment."