Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç Speaks Out on Göztepe Match Incident

Fenerbahçe Club President Ali Koç spoke at a dinner event organized for Fenerbahçe athletes representing Turkey in the Olympics. Koç made a statement about the incidents that occurred during the Göztepe match.

Here are Ali Koç’s statements:

“WE ARE USED TO CHAMPIONSHIPS BEING STOLEN”

“I want to say something about those who are against Fenerbahçe. Unfortunate events occurred over the weekend. Firstly, these are elements that should not happen, but in certain media circles, it is being portrayed as if Fenerbahçe is guilty, as if Fenerbahçe provoked it. An environment is being created where the perpetrator is seen as legitimate and justified. Do not continue to subject Fenerbahçe to this oppression. We are used to it. We are used to championships being stolen. We are used to being portrayed as guilty. I am being physically attacked. ‘Why am I on the field?’ Our bus was shot at, and the culprit is still unknown. We, as Fenerbahçe, are used to it. It has become normal. Injustices and the oppression inflicted on us—we are used to it. Now, you must decide how long you want this to continue. I don’t think this is a situation that benefits the country at all.”

“WHY DID I ENTER THE FIELD?”

“Let’s get to Saturday night, why did these incidents happen, and why did I enter the field? The exact same thing that happened during the July 3rd process when our fans went to an away match was inflicted upon us in İzmir.”

“WE ACTED TO BRING OUR FANS INTO THE STANDS”

“We hadn’t even reached the field yet; we were outside the stadium. In front of the police, our jerseys were taken and burned. No action was taken. The reason I went down there, we were leading the match. If I were provoking, would I enter the field? We were leading 2-0, and our fans were in pain. Our fans were shouting, ‘Management, stand up for us.’ Three of our executives went outside the stadium to the buses. Burak Bey and I went down from the field because we had accreditation. Why did we go down? There were unpleasant incidents between the police and our fans during the break. We acted to calm the situation and bring our fans into the stands.”

“I DIDN’T WANT ANY MORE INCIDENTS TO HAPPEN”

“We had to act against some instructions, but we were obliged to do so. I didn’t want any more incidents to happen. What happened? The evacuation gates were opened, our fans were brought into the stands, and at least they watched the remaining 40 minutes of the match. When we entered the field, the match had not yet started. Due to the physical layout of the stadium, it took us 10 minutes to reach the field. Unfortunately, when we finished our task, the match had already started. We had no reason to be on the field while the match was being played. But why did our fans experience this oppression? Fans were gathered in Buca and Bornova. Some members of the security suggested bringing those who came from İzmir into the stadium as soon as possible and then bringing those who came from Istanbul from Buca, but the supervisor did not accept this. Our fans arrived at the stadium at 21:30, and many of them were kept on the bus until 22:00. Tear gas was used, and it wasn’t just our fans who were affected, but the executives as well. It was similar to what we experienced during the FETÖ era.”