The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has made a statement regarding Atakan Karazor, who is currently facing a rape trial.

Ceyhun Kazancı, in the third match of Group B of the UEFA Nations League, will face Montenegro on Friday, October 11, in Samsun, and made statements to the press before the training of the crescent-starred team. Kazancı also spoke about Atakan Karazor, who has been called up for the first time.

"THIS TIME WE WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE WORLD CUP"

Reminding that the National Team has earned 4 points in the first two matches of the Nations League, Kazancı said, "We are currently leading on goal difference. We need to explain the importance of the Nations League because its value is not well known right now. If we finish our group as leaders, we will be promoted to Group A. We will automatically gain the chance to play in the play-offs before the World Cup qualifiers. Therefore, we take it very seriously. I believe there will be a very nice atmosphere in Samsun. We played against Wales in Samsun in 2023. We won in a beautiful atmosphere. The away match in Iceland is always difficult due to the climate. Considering that we have never won away against Iceland, I hope this time we will break the curse. I hope we will start the World Cup qualifiers ready. I hope we will participate in the World Cup, which we have not been able to attend since 2002," he stated.

"WE BELIEVE ATAKAN IS INNOCENT"

Ceyhun Kazancı responded to the question, "Atakan Karazor is in the squad for the first time. How did Atakan's inclusion in the national team develop?" by saying, "I understand the sensitivity on social media in the last few days. The recent cases of violence against women and children have saddened us all. I hope these will come to an end. There has been an ongoing legal process regarding Atakan since 2022. Every individual is innocent until proven guilty. We believe Atakan is innocent. Unfortunately, especially in the world of football, these cases have started to increase. He has risen to captaincy at Stuttgart and the German National Team has shown great interest in him. I believe that very soon the case will conclude with his acquittal. We believe he will make a significant contribution to us. The case is ongoing in Spain, but he recently played in the Champions League match against Real Madrid. We cannot provide more information as the case is ongoing. We need to support him. We are against all forms of violence," he replied.

"OUR TALKS WITH DENIZ GUL CONTINUE"

Ceyhun Kazancı emphasized that efforts to bring new names to the A National Team are ongoing, stating, "There are some players mentioned in the press. Our number one goal is to expand the National Team pool. I believe that very soon we will bring a few more players who are already mentioned into the national team. Eren Dinkçi will be coming soon. He is now in our pool. Movements have started based on form. Our talks with Deniz Gül are ongoing. He is currently playing for the Sweden U21 team. He is also interested. We want to bring him in the future. Aral Şimşir is already in the U21 National Team squad. We have been working intensively from the lowest categories," he evaluated.