28.02.2026 16:11
Mehmet Sepil, Honorary President of the Süper Lig team Göztepe, made statements regarding Shakhtar Donetsk's head coach Arda Turan's remark, "We would like to play the match against Lech Poznan in Izmir, at Gürsel Aksel Stadium," expressing that they positively received the young coach's request.
Mehmet Sepil, Honorary President of Göztepe Club, stated that he would like to host the Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk's coach Arda Turan and his team, who announced that they want to play the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 match against Lech Poznan in Turkey, in İzmir.
''WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HOST ARDA TURAN''
In his statement, Mehmet Sepil noted that their doors are always open to Shakhtar Donetsk under the management of Arda Turan, provided that UEFA allows it, and added: "We love Arda Turan very much as the Turkish nation. I know that Arda also loves Göztepe and our fans very much. As the Göztepe family, we would be happy to host Arda Turan together with our fans."
THE RETURN MATCH HOSTED BY SHAKHTAR
The first match of the matchup will be played on March 12 in Poland, and the return match will be played on March 19 at the home of the Ukrainian team. Shakhtar Donetsk is playing its matches in Krakow, Poland, due to the war.
WHAT DID ARDA TURAN SAY?
In a statement yesterday, Arda Turan said that they want to play their match against Lech Poznan in İzmir instead of Krakow, stating, "I believe that the Turkish people will support us. I do not want to play against the Polish team in Poland. We will try to make this happen."