30.10.2026 10:00
National Team Head Coach Sergen Yalçın responded to claims that some players did not want to meet with him because of statements he made on television in the past. Stating that they had one-on-one meetings with all the players, Yalçın said, 'I don’t know where they write these stories. Today we are not on the screen, we are on the field.'
Sergen Yalçın, the new head coach of the National Team, clarified the claims that some national players did not answer his phone calls because of comments they had made about him in the past.
Stating that they held one-on-one video calls with the national players via FaceTime, Yalçın said that there is no player they have not spoken with or who has not responded to them.
"TODAY WE ARE NOT ON SCREEN, WE ARE ON THE PITCH"
Emphasizing that the comments he made on television programs in the past did not negatively affect his relationships with the players, the experienced coach used the following statements:
"I don't know where they write these stories from. The players don't take issue with my past statements; because we made those statements on screen partly for show purposes. Today we are not on screen, we are on the pitch. The players know this very well. Trying to undermine the morale of the National Team before such important matches will not benefit anyone."
THE TFF HAD ALSO DENIED THE CLAIMS
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), in a previous statement, had denied the claims that some national players did not answer Sergen Yalçın's phone calls. The Federation stated that the claims in question did not reflect the truth and used the following statements:
"These and similar statements are nothing but unrealistic, imaginary and ill-intentioned speculation."
"THE PLAYERS ARE PLEASED WITH THE CONVERSATIONS"
In the TFF statement, attention was drawn to the fact that there was no problem between the head coach and the players as alleged. The Federation stated that all national players were pleased with the conversations held with Sergen Yalçın and his technical team and called for no credence to be given to statements that could harm the unity and solidarity of the National Team.