03.06.2026 22:31
Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran made statements on many topics including the club's economic structure, the missed championship, the election decision, the transfers made, and the dismissal of Domenico Tedesco.
President Sadettin Saran, who is not running for re-election in the election to be held on June 6-7 at Fenerbahçe, made statements to HT Spor.
STATEMENTS FROM SADETTIN SARAN Saran made statements on many topics including the club's financial structure, the lost championship, the election decision, the transfers made, and the dismissal of Domenico Tedesco.
Sadettin Saran's statements are as follows:
"I WAS SAYING THE ELECTION DATE WAS WRONG" "I have been saying the election date was wrong from the very first day. I told Mr. Ali Bey this, and I told the public. I think everyone agrees with me. We have arrived at a time when seasons have started in every branch, a time when we cannot intervene much. There is also the smear campaign started by people who call themselves Fenerbahçe supporters during the election process. Despite news that he cannot be a candidate, that there would be deprivation of rights if he is a candidate, and that they would not even give the certificate of election on the same day after winning, we have come this far. "
"THERE WAS A COMMUNITY WITH MORALE IN THE DUMPS" This process had a negative effect especially on the athletes, especially in Samandıra. If you remember, I said, 'There is dead soil in Samandıra, we are coming to lift it.' Statements like 'they can't pay salaries' caused a huge impact there. Therefore, the Fenerbahçe we found had a community whose trust was shaken, hope was broken, and morale was in the dumps. There were players interested in the election during the halftime of the Kasımpaşa match. We later talked about it with the coaches. They also said how badly it affected them. Some things that needed to be given and done in Samandıra during that process could not be done. Therefore, as soon as we arrived, we tried to re-establish that trust. "
"I SUPPORTED TEDESCO" "The very next day after we arrived, we suffered a bad defeat against Zagreb. In fact, when I went to Samandıra, I said, 'Oh no,' I thought, 'We will probably come back with a very bad result from Zagreb tomorrow.' Therefore, after the defeat, there was an expectation in the public that we would send our coach, and 99% of the people who called me said the coach should be sent. I invited the coach. When I asked, 'Why did this come to this point?', I thought what he said was reasonable, that he did not receive the necessary support, that there were some things that needed to be done, and that it could be fixed if these were done. I told him: 'You are a 6-week coach, and I am a 6-day president. I will support you. I will do whatever it takes to ensure the players trust you, and we will not make decisions without the technical staff.' We said that, and we made that decision that day. "
SQUAD EXCLUSION DECISION "One of our first tasks was to exclude players from the squad, which is very difficult. Most of them are people I know, but as I said, I was convinced that such a decision needed to be made to establish that trust in the coach. The technical staff convinced us on this matter, and we did what was necessary. "
"FENERBAHÇE HAS AN EXPENSE PROBLEM" "I have always said this financially too; Fenerbahçe has no income problem, no problem generating income. It has an expense problem. Unfortunately, when we arrived, this had not changed for years. In fact, it had gotten worse recently. Players who are not in the squad, who do not wear the jersey, who do not play, are paid a lot, and there are many such players left from previous years, not just one or two. Fenerbahçe could never establish its backbone. There is a constant squad overhaul. We tried to prevent this. You asked, 'What kind of Fenerbahçe did you take over, what did you try to change?' We identified this. "
"WE FORMED THE BEST MIDFIELD IN TURKEY" "We tried to create a Fenerbahçe that would not have to rebuild its backbone every year, and would not constantly pay salaries or compensation to multiple coaches. As of today, compensation and salaries were being paid to two coaches during our time. We tried to create a Fenerbahçe where this would not happen. The transfers of Guendouzi, Kante, and Sıddıki Cherif, although we were criticized, were made to serve this purpose. In other words, today Fenerbahçe's midfield is not only the best midfield in Fenerbahçe's history, but the best midfield in Turkey, and a midfield you can entrust for 3-4 years. If we had had enough time, we would have done this for the defense as well. We would have created a team we could entrust for 3-4 years. It was not meant to be. "
"WE LEFT FENERBAHÇE IN A BETTER STATE THAN WE TOOK IT" "People forget one thing when making these transfers; mid-season transfers are very, very difficult. We never experienced a summer transfer window. No team wants to easily let go of their player during the mid-season break. A player doesn't want to get up in the middle of winter and go to a team with his family. Despite that, we made 5 transfers. One of the candidates also says, 'This team would be fine with one or two additions,' and that was our intention. Most of the players we identified are being talked to, both sides are talking. I think we left Fenerbahçe in a better state than we took it. "
"WE WERE MOST CRITICIZED ABOUT CHERIF" "We didn't make those transfers just to save the day back then, not any of them. We were most criticized about this Chérif matter, but all of these were both within a plan and done in consultation with the technical staff. All the rumors about who was wanted and who wasn't are lies. Decisions were made together, not to save the day. But despite everything, during our tenure, we became the administration that won the most cups in Fenerbahçe's history. I think this is a result that shows the will we put forward and how we worked for Fenerbahçe. "
"WE WERE ACTUALLY ABOUT TO ENTER OUR MASTERY PERIOD" "We were never ones to make excuses. I never have been in my life. I see people who make excuses as weak. I set out saying, 'Our team is the best team.' I never said, 'We didn't sign these players' or 'I didn't know them,' and I never will. "{
\"THAT REMARK HURT ME\" \"I am not someone who dwells on the past. In university talks, I always tell young people that. The difference between winners and losers is that losers dwell on the past. Of course, we must learn from the past. But, you know, whatever hurt me passed quickly. Some people criticized me, saying 'He did certain things for his own benefit.' That stung a bit. I mean, after all, I made this decision, the congress decision, so that no one would have the slightest doubt in their minds during my first detention period. And in every decision I made, I prioritized Fenerbahçe. Throughout this process, as long as my friends and I were in that seat, we never once thought of our own interests. I guarantee this; our conscience is completely clear.\"
\"IT UPSETS ME THAT SUCH PEOPLE ARE RESPECTED IN OUR COMMUNITY\" \"Of course, no matter what you say, a certain climate forms in this community. Now, what angers me, you say 'upsets', you say 'hurts', but also angers. There is something that causes all three of these feelings: I say this not as Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran, but as a regular Fenerbahçe fan Sadettin Saran. It disturbs me that people who claim 'I am a Fenerbahçe fan' and attack the management and the president just to find a place for themselves, with no purpose other than being destructive and making mostly false accusations, are viewed as Fenerbahçe fans. As a Fenerbahçe fan, it upsets me that such people are respected in our community. Because they are not doing this for the sake of Fenerbahçe.\"
\"THEY ARE NOURISHED BY LIES AND DECEPTION\" \"Since January, we have been subjected to an unjust and huge lynching. The only reason for this was the decision to hold a congress. And I said we made the congress decision, but we won't talk about it until May, I tried to keep it off the field. The field is separate. I tried not to drag this congress decision onto the field. But some so-called Fenerbahçe fans specifically brought it here, and it harmed the team. Just as we were starting to free these players from the mentality of 'new president, new coach, new management', they specifically tried to bring it back. This saddened me deeply, surprised me greatly, and angered me a lot. In time, all of these people will be revealed; most are already known. I also call on the community: let's distinguish these people. Let's also distinguish media members who feed on chaos, on Fenerbahçe being in chaos. Let's be aware! Let's not give them any credit, so they stop doing this. People who feed on lies and deception are harming us. Look, they even twisted a goal celebration into something else. I am a sincere person; I am what I am. My inside and outside are the same; I am a genuine person. This is how I celebrate, and I will continue to celebrate like this. I was celebrating like this before too. We need sincerity. This is one of the things Fenerbahçe needs most: a need for sincerity. I am leaving as Fenerbahçe President. I am keeping another promise and leaving. But right now, I am making you another promise: I will not become one of them.\"
\"I SAID I WAS LEAVING, AND I LEFT\" \"Earlier, I said I wouldn't run if Ali Bey was a candidate; despite all the pressure and my chance of winning, I kept my word. Then I said I would run in the next congress no matter what, regardless of the conditions, even at the worst time, and I did. We said 'If we can't become champions, we will step down', and due to these legal processes as well, I said I was leaving, and I left.\"
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN TRANSFER \"We mishandled the Lookman transfer. This mostly stemmed from us. We did not manage the communication well. I'm not making excuses, but during that process, there was the legal process, the mid-season transfer, the famous contractor pulling out of the tender, cash planning. Everything happened one after another, and in the meantime, we did not handle the communication well. However, the reason Lookman was not signed was not the letter of guarantee. The truth of the matter is this: I was personally at the table. The technical staff, our football intelligence, everyone agreed on Lookman. 'He wanted him, he didn't want him' — all lies. Everyone wanted him. 'Oh, there's this document here, that there' — all lies. I went abroad just for this deal. I met with the player's agent. I told him I would meet Lookman in Morocco during the Africa Cup of Nations, which he really liked. That evening, while I was meeting with Atalanta's executives, I had to leave abruptly due to known reasons and return. When the other side behaves like that, suddenly leaving the table became an uncertain situation for them. That also became the breaking point of the transfer. And whether we gave the letter of guarantee or not afterwards, that transfer was not going to proceed; it wasn't going to happen.\"
\"SOMETIMES I COULDN'T LISTEN TO MY INNER VOICE\" \"Also, looking back at these processes, the difficult part of this duty is: sometimes you cannot make decisions in a quiet environment. You may not be able to listen to your inner voice. I knew this, but it was educational for me once again. There were moments, decisions where I needed to listen to my inner voice more. Sometimes, most of the time, I listened; like with Guendouzi, Kante, I listened to my inner voice, but there were times I couldn't.\"
\"WE PRESENTED A $75 MILLION PROJECT\" \"My friends and I presented a project that would generate $75 million in revenue to both presidential candidates without a single penny coming out of Fenerbahçe's coffers. You know how much the famous land sale relieved us; the land purchased back then. Therefore, such efforts are necessary for Fenerbahçe's future. These revenue projects are very important. Controlling expenses is very important. But in the end, it all ties in together; without sporting success, it's very difficult to increase these revenues.\"
THE DECISION TO SEND TEDESCO "We were heavily criticized. We could have not sent him, we could have taken no risk. We made that decision, and the next day, for the first time, I was insulted inside the stadium. After the Galatasaray match we lost, the technical report I received was that the bond between our coach and our players had broken. And if it continued like this, we would struggle to earn points from then on. So I made that decision. Because qualifying for the Champions League is very important, and we thought we needed to do everything we could for the team after us to qualify for the Champions League, believing this was the right thing for Fenerbahçe. And the decision turned out to be correct."
"WE ALWAYS TRIED TO STAY AWAY FROM FIGHTS" "We never said to the previous management, 'We took this, we took that,' or 'This was here,' and we never will. That's not our style. We also always tried to stay away from fights. But one thing caught my attention regarding our community: when you stay away from fights, some people think, 'Maybe this guy is...' As if it's our fault, that's the perception. Quite the opposite! We can easily engage in a fight, very easily. But that's not what Fenerbahçe needs. I said it earlier; we need sincerity, we need freedom from arrogance, we need love. You can't become champions otherwise. We came very close this year. It didn't happen, and as you said, we were about to enter our master season. It wasn't meant to be. But in the end, we will sleep peacefully at night with what we have put forward. I wasn't very affected by social media, but it had an effect. I'm not saying it should be ignored entirely. But when making decisions, it shouldn't be given too much importance. We discussed this with our communications colleagues too. We were following it; I didn't follow it much, but they did. If there was a situation that needed attention, it was taken care of, but it's not a platform we value much. And it shouldn't be. Because even if you wanted to, you can't keep up. There are attacks from all sides. You don't even know why someone is writing; someone is making them write. These things are done for money."
"YOU WILL HEAR THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME; EN-NESYRI." "You will hear this for the first time. People criticize us about En-Nesyri, saying 'they sold the man.' In the Kocaeli match, the coach took him off around the 65th minute. After the match ended, when the players came to the locker room, En-Nesyri had already taken his shower and left without saying goodbye. Because the jeering and what was written on social media had an effect. Things are written about another player's wife. These are young people; do you think they aren't affected? When we make transfers now, we also look at whether this player can handle such pressure. Many of our players, especially our Turkish players, didn't want to play in our home stadium."
"THEY DIDN'T PLAY FOR FEAR OF BEING JEERED" "They were jeered at home while losing 2-0. But there's also what happened before that; in many of our matches, at very critical moments, they didn't play out of fear of being jeered. And there is backlash against this on social media too. How could they not want to? But it's a very human thing. Now, let's not forget these things. How old are these kids? Even grown adults are affected by what people say on social media. Especially when it's about their spouse, children, or fiancée. A player who might have played can't play; he doesn't want to. Those who have caused these players to run away, those who allowed this environment to form, many of them have served as managers at this club. And most are doing this to become managers in the future. These are the Fenerbahçe enemies I'm talking about. Don't look for enemies elsewhere. People who have sat in this seat, in this management, in these positions, are doing this through social media. Is this being a Fenerbahçe supporter?"."