Ali Koç: “There are things happening that everyone is suffering from”
The President of the Clubs Association, Ali Koç, stated, "There are things happening that everyone is suffering from, but there is a body that isn't suffering. They are the referees and the Refereeing Committee (MHK).
The Clubs Association held a meeting today at the foundation’s Maslak Office. Following the meeting, the President of the Clubs Association, Ali Koç, made statements to the press. Koç revealed the discussion topics during the foundation’s meeting, saying, “The immediate need for the E-Ticket auction was on the agenda. There were deductions of 7% from our ticket revenues by the ministry. Information was provided that these deductions should not exist. We discussed the more modern distribution of broadcasting revenues. Hopefully, we will decide on the distribution of next season’s revenues in March or April. I can say that there will be a different revenue distribution system in the coming seasons. There is no progress on the broadcast auction.”
“Galatasaray fought very well”
Ali Koç emphasized the importance of the country’s coefficient and continued his statement by mentioning, “Galatasaray had a match yesterday. Our country’s coefficient is very important. Now we’ve come in 9th. Galatasaray fought very well. That’s really great. We have two matches today; hopefully, we can collect points. What is suitable for Turkey is for the champion to directly qualify for the Champions League. At least, we need to secure the 9th position.”
“All clubs showed a determination to get to the bottom of this dirt, match-fixing, and betting matter”
Referring to the comments made about the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Ali Koç addressed the issues by saying, “I couldn’t read the statements in detail. We had a busy meeting. It is said that there is a situation of sweeping under the rug in the messages I received. All the clubs participating in the meeting showed a strong determination to get to the bottom of this dirt, incompetence, match-fixing, and betting issues. A determination was demonstrated to take the necessary steps for these issues with the TFF.”
“If there is betting and match-fixing, referees are also involved”
Regarding the existing issues of betting and match-fixing, Koç pointed out, “Betting and match-fixing are a big problem. With the introduction of cryptocurrency, this issue has increased further because you don’t need to get involved in banking. I want to make a parenthesis regarding Mr. Murat Sancak. He’s very uncomfortable with the allegations against him. Since he joined, he has been one of the chairmen expressing that betting and match-fixing are a significant issue for Turkish football. His reflexes also indicate this issue. If there’s betting and match-fixing, referees are also involved. We, as Fenerbahçe, have started an investigation. What has made me happiest here is the decision to act on a common ground. MHKs are changing, federations are changing, but the referees are not changing, and we are experiencing all the problems. I find this consensus very valuable.”
“You can’t solve existing issues with penalties given by the Federation”
Koç pointed out that the existing issues cannot be solved with penalties given by the Federation and stated, “The Federation needs to read between the lines. We can’t reach anywhere by saying, ‘This is for you, and this is for that.’ Neither can you make us trustworthy nor can our trust in you remain the same. There are valuable members in the TFF management, but our concern is that not all of the federation’s potentials are utilized. We believe there’s a small circle in a disorganized system. There’s a blockage in making any good attempts.”
“There are things happening that everyone suffers from, except Turkish Football Federation”
Expressing strong support for this matter, Koç commented, “I’ve been watching some matches since Sunday, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Forget about that; no one can say ‘it’s not a penalty’ for Beşiktaş’ match against Antalyaspor. The same applies to what happened to Ferdi. What courage is this? I guess there was a penalty in the Konyaspor-Fatih Karagümrük match, unbelievable. There are things happening that everyone is suffering from, except TFF. They are the referees and the MHK. What kind of artificial intelligence is it that assigned the same referees to last year’s matches between Adana Demirspor and Beşiktaş?”