Fenerbahçe official Burak Kızılhan: “Referees, be fair!”

In his speech at the High Council Meeting of Fenerbahçe Club, Burak Çağlan Kızılhan addressed the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and referees, saying, “Be fair, officiate all matches with integrity.”

Speaking at the High Council meeting held at Fenerbahçe Faruk Ilgaz Facilities in Kalamış, Kızılhan stated that they have left behind a competitive period of three months.

Emphasizing that the club has been successful in every branch, Kızılhan continued:

“Our resistance that began on July 3, 2011, turned into an honorable victory on December 27, 2021. The acquittal decision related to the so-called match-fixing case in football, known as a plot, has proven once again that Fenerbahçe is clean in both conscience and law. We did not step back in our determined struggle. Those who orchestrated the July 3 process are now nowhere to be found. Fenerbahçe continues its rightful and clean stance. We will stand tall until the material and spiritual damages of the 10-year process are compensated.”

“World-class players we added to the squad in the mid-season transfer increased our confidence in the team”

Burak Çağlan Kızılhan, stating that the football team has been successful in the Super League, Europe, and the Turkish Cup, congratulated coach İsmail Kartal and the players.

Highlighting that unity and solidarity are the most important factors behind success, Kızılhan said:

“The world-class players we added to the squad in the mid-season transfer further increased our confidence in the team. We had a very efficient transition to the transfer period with correct planning and reinforcements made to the needed areas on time. Adding star players like Bonucci, Krunic, Çağlar Söyüncü was important steps for our championship goal. I thank those who contributed during this process. Besides the players who joined the team due to quotas, some players also left. Both our team and our fans are putting their hearts into the championship journey.”

Kızılhan, stating that everyone’s support is crucial for the championship, said, “I want to make a call to TFF and referees during this extraordinary period we have been through as a team and community. Be fair, officiate all matches with integrity. Ensuring justice is of critical importance for the future and brand value of football. We hope to have a season where referees do not affect the competition. If these conditions are met, we will undoubtedly bring the championship trophy to our museum this year.”

Pointing out that the yellow-navy club competes at the top in all branches of sports, Kızılhan continued his words:

“Under these challenging financial conditions, we will push our limits for the successes of our Olympic branches. We always say Fenerbahçe is the world’s greatest sports club. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, one out of every 5 athletes representing our country was an athlete of Fenerbahçe Club. Now, the target is the 2024 Paris Olympics. A member of the Galatasaray High Council named Sami Çölgeçen said, ‘Where are we, we are nowhere. You are only competing with Fenerbahçe in football; you are absent in amateur branches. I envy Fenerbahçe.’ Fenerbahçe holds a unique position in Turkish sports and the future of its country.”

Finally, Kızılhan mentioned that Fenerium stores broke records, saying, “By reaching the 350,000 jersey sales figure we achieved in April last season, we broke a new record in January this year. Our revenue for 2023 was completed with 1 billion 302 million liras. This figure is a record in the history of Fenerium. We reached a turnover of 47 million 700 thousand euros in foreign currency.”