11.11.2026 19:32
National Team Head Coach Sergen Yalçın, ahead of tomorrow's Belgium match in İzmir, regarding İrfan Can Kahveci not being included in the provisional squad, said, 'I don't want to include a national team player in the squad and have him sit in the stands.' Yalçın, who will be in his first national team match, emphasized that 3 points are essential and announced that Enes Ünal and Ferdi Kadıoğlu will start in the first 11.
In the 5th match of UEFA Nations League A Group 1, the Turkish National Football Team will face Belgium tomorrow in İzmir, and head coach Sergen Yalçın said they made all their plans around winning.
Yalçın made statements at a press conference held at Gürsel Aksel Stadium, which will host the match.
Stating that he will take charge of the crescent-star team for the first time, Sergen Yalçın said, "We are excited. We will play our first national match. Being here is very valuable. We have many responsibilities. We are aware of this. We prepared well. We tried to make minor adjustments. Zeki's chance of starting tomorrow's match is very low. We have 3-4 players coming back from injury. We will also use them in certain periods. Hopefully, we want to make a good start."
Emphasizing that the Belgium match is of great importance for their situation in the group, the 54-year-old coach used the following expressions:
"Our situation in the group is clear. We have a possibility of playing the play-out. All the boys are focused on the match. We prepared well. We made all our plans around winning. We absolutely need to get 3 points. Staying in this group is also very important. When we play teams like this, we can see our level more clearly. We are making long-term plans. Our striker is with us. Enes Ünal will start tomorrow's match. The reason we came here is to raise Turkish football higher, play good games, and earn appreciation. Changing some things is not very easy. We want to do something together. They are all boys with great character. There is no reason not to be successful here. We have a squad that will reach very good places. We are trying to do this."
RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION ABOUT İRFAN CAN KAHVECİ
Sergen Yalçın shared the following views regarding İrfan Can Kahveci, who plays for Fenerbahçe, not being included in the provisional squad:
"İrfan Can Kahveci is a player in our wide squad. There are 25 other players who are upset along with him. Let's not perceive it individually. We considered it appropriate. We expect this to be respected as well. İrfan Can is always a player of our national team. His performance is improving. Hopefully, we will include him here as well. I have no ill intentions toward anyone. There are congestions in some areas. We cannot include all of them. I do not want to include a national team player in the squad and have him sit in the stands."
ARDA OKAN BLOCKED BY PROCEDURE
Yalçın noted that Arda Okan Kurtulan, who works at Göztepe, could not be included in the provisional squad due to procedure.
The 54-year-old coach, stating that Göztepe head coach Stanimir Stoilov's statements on the matter did not concern him, commented, "Arda Okan cannot play for the national team due to procedure. We did not know this either. This probably requires time. Arda Okan was in our squad; we were going to include him, but he cannot play due to procedure. We could not include him in the provisional squad. We had him called. He needs to write a petition and start the procedures. This cannot be completed in the short term. He is a player in the wide pool. If appropriate, he will always be in our team."
Also speaking about his provisional squad choices, Sergen Yalçın said they had a pool of more than 50 players.
The experienced coach, explaining that there is a certain group of players in the national team, expressed his view as follows: "We made some changes in squad selection. We have a pool of more than 50 players. There is an established national team squad. 80 percent are players who come here. 20 percent can change based on performance. We brought in young players. We are giving them the message that they can come here too. Players left out of the provisional squad are of course upset. Every Turkish player wants to come to the national team. We also have to select a squad. I think the group that starts is important. I think the group that finishes the match is more important."
FERDİ KADIOĞLU 100 PERCENT READY
Sergen Yalçın stated that Ferdi Kadıoğlu will play in the starting 11 in the Belgium match.
Yalçın, conveying that the national player's physical condition is good, said, "Ferdi Kadıoğlu is 100 percent ready. He was also in the squad for his team's last match in England. He will start tomorrow's match. We will see Ferdi where he should be."
Underlining that their communication with the players is good, the experienced coach said, "Our dialogue with the players is good. We are not very far; we are in close contact. We are constantly exchanging ideas. We do not have the slightest problem. They are all diamond-like boys. Please do not make negative news. You can do whatever you want to me, but do not touch them."
Sergen Yalçın noted that a victory in the Belgium match is important for all of Turkey.
Emphasizing that they want to achieve success all together, Yalçın concluded his words by saying, "I do not need a victory. The public, the players, everyone needs it. We all want to be successful. We want to be happy. If we are to get a victory, we will do it all together."