The striking move by Serdal Adalı at the board meeting.

01.03.2025 13:50

The Beşiktaş Club's 3rd ordinary general assembly meeting for the year 2024 was held with a request for the expulsion of Hasan Arat. Speaking at the meeting, Beşiktaş Club President Serdal Adalı knocked on wood to ward off any bad luck for their winning streak.

The Super League giant Beşiktaş Club held its 3rd ordinary council meeting of 2024 with a request for the expulsion of Hasan Arat.

HE KNOCKED ON WOOD TO AVOID THE EVIL EYE ON THE TEAM

Speaking at the meeting, Beşiktaş Club President Serdal Adalı knocked on wood to avoid the evil eye on the winning streak.

STATEMENTS OF SERDAL ADALI

In 2 days, we will celebrate the anniversary of our Beşiktaş's foundation. For 122 years, our club has always been a pioneer with its stance and loyalty to the state. It has come to this point with the honor of being the club entrusted to Gazi Mustafa Kemal's mother, with the Turkish flag in its emblem, and with the pride of being the first sports club officially recognized in Turkish sports history.

This council should have been held last December. It was blocked by the management board of that period. We would have liked to see the reports regarding the financial situation on time. Such a situation will not occur during our term. If we could have held that meeting that day, I would have liked to express some things I wanted to say. Whenever the current president starts to shake the previous president and management boards baselessly, know that there are problems in the current management. For this reason, I said that I would never engage in the rhetoric of debris during election time. The human brain sometimes pushes away what it does not want to remember into the subconscious. Those of us who take on the responsibility of managing the club must not forget you, the wise people of the club. We must remind ourselves. We must not forget those who do not have the courage to come before the council.

The hidden truths emerged with the dismissal of two sports directors at midnight. We encountered issues like commissions that have never been discussed in Beşiktaş's history and forged signatures. Expressions of rebellion, resigning and returning managers entered our lives from this point on. We all saw that our community was deceived by illusions and perception games. My friends and I could not allow this destructive period to continue any longer. We could not hand over Beşiktaş to the co-chairs and their teams of this period for another day. It would have been a Beşiktaş that could not be managed, trapped in a spiral of debt. We will end the period where those who abused Beşiktaş got away with their actions. Those who benefit from Beşiktaş will think twice.

"WE ENCOUNTERED A SITUATION FAR BEYOND WHAT WE EXPECTED"

We took office during a period when we faced the most difficult conditions in our history. When we arrived at the club, we encountered a situation far beyond what we expected. There was chaos and multiple leadership everywhere. Workflows had been disrupted. There was confusion and a sense of belonging issues among our athletes and professional staff. Our community needs to be informed about certain issues. It is our duty to insist on saying and reminding. In the club we took over, let alone acting in accordance with the budget, healthy budget planning had not been made in some areas. Reckless spending had occurred in all areas. Purchasing procedures had become disregarded. Large-scale projects had been done without bidding or proposals. Our internal audit team is working to clarify and reveal all these issues in line with the instructions we provided.

Dear Hüseyin Yücel is among us. If I were to ask him, I am sure he would say, 'I am not aware of the reports.' I believe that he is not, and I hope there is no misunderstanding. Our first task was to determine under what conditions we took over Beşiktaş as of December 31, 2024. We requested a report from the independent auditing firm named RSM regarding the financial situation we encountered. The painful picture emerged once again. According to this report, as of December 31, 2024, Beşiktaş's total debt has exceeded 15.1 billion TL. The fact that the debt, which was announced as 8.6 billion TL just one year ago, has been increased by 75% by the previous management stands before us.

"THEY HAVE MORTGAGED BEŞİKTAŞ'S FUTURE"

We have left behind a period in which we experienced the largest increase in debt in our history in just 13 months. In contrast, almost all of our current revenues have been used for the next 3 years. They have mortgaged not only their own terms but also the future of Beşiktaş.

Record transfer fees have been spent for our football team. These are being tracked. We will announce them when the time is right. Most payments will start after May of this year. Specifically for the Football A team, our total obligation between May and December 2025 is approximately 45 million euros, nearly 2 billion TL. Record losses have also been reached in amateur branches. The loss in handball has reached 88 million TL. Our volleyball branch has gone from a loss of 3 million TL to a loss of 100 million TL. There has been no significant success in the teams. In the youth teams, the loss has reached 739 million TL. There have been issues in these areas as well.

There are purchases made without bidding and at exorbitant prices. The two most striking points were the stadium lighting and the roof membrane renovations. We have submitted the reports of the Audit Committee and the files identified by our internal audit team to the prosecutor's office. We have initiated the legal process. Targeting someone or putting them under suspicion is not our intention. We have no intention of playing with anyone's honor or pride. From now on, it is the prosecutor's job. We have complete confidence in the esteemed Turkish judiciary. Our intention is to take ownership of every penny of Beşiktaş. We will not compromise; we will do what is necessary.

Another issue we reported to the prosecutor's office is related to the Information Technologies department. Our club's information system was attacked. For about 20 days, our club's email system was down. Some documents were deleted from the records. Our information operating system was rendered unusable. We have submitted the relevant documents to the prosecutor's office. We are closely following developments regarding this issue. We have taken the necessary precautions to prevent a similar incident from happening again, sought help from experts, and initiated technological investments.

As we pursue these issues, we are facing half-threats and half-suggestions from different places within the community. Some have told us, 'There is an election in May; do not pursue this issue.' Sometimes, there have been those who said, 'Wait a while before addressing this issue.' My esteemed elders, dear members of the council. This is Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club! Standing proudly and honorably for 122 years! It is much more important than individuals. We will pursue every wrong and every adversity we see to the end. We will always come before you with the confidence of doing our job well. We will chase every negativity to the end. The fact that there will be a new election in 3 months will not stop us. We have sworn to do what is right for Beşiktaş without fear or hesitation. I have never been afraid of anything in this life. No one has ever deterred me from my love for Beşiktaş or my cause for Beşiktaş. I have seen conspiracies and threats in the past. Nothing has been left untried against me. I sacrificed my freedom. I have paid great prices for this club. I do not fear these matters. I volunteered for this duty with my team during the most difficult period in history. I did not say, 'Let's wait for things to settle down, then we will come.' This is Beşiktaş; I did not say, 'Let it fall into a much worse situation, then I will show up.' Whenever there was a need, my friends and I volunteered for duty.

If I see anyone stealing even a single penny from Beşiktaş, I would be a coward if I refrain from going to court.

Let it be known to all of you! Since the day we arrived, we have paid 20 million euros out of our own pockets with my friends. We need to pay another 15 million euros by May.

"WE WILL EXIT THE Banks Association BY MAY"

At the request of Ahmet Nur Çebi, we have also decided to audit the 4 years he has been president. The fact is; we need 3 transfer periods to reach the level we desire. We will exit the Banks Association by May. We are making efforts to ensure that no money comes out of Beşiktaş's treasury for the transfers of Arroyo and Ricardo.

While we were still a management for only 15 days, a campaign was launched for resignation, and during the first week of the transfer window, a campaign was started asking where the transfers were. Know that we have found something within the club during these times.

Since the day we arrived, we have paid 20 million euros out of our own pockets with my friends. We have another 15 million euros to pay by May. We ran for this position knowing this situation, and that’s how we were elected. This situation must continue for a while longer. The only way for us to get back on track financially is to produce real estate projects. Unfortunately, we are at least 2-3 years behind our competitors in real estate development projects.