Aziz Yıldırım Discusses Fenerbahçe Future: Mourinho’s Role and Potential Collaboration with Mario Branco

He said, “In June, a coach took charge of the team. If my friends and I have even a one percent share in this, we would be happy. Everything is for Fenerbahçe.” Regarding Mario Branco, Yıldırım stated, “If we are elected and Mourinho wants Branco, we will continue with him. If he wants to leave, there is nothing we can do. We will bring whoever Mourinho wants.”

Aziz Yıldırım, a former president of Fenerbahçe and a candidate in the ordinary elective general assembly to be held at the club this weekend, answered questions on TRT Spor.

Expressing his dissatisfaction with the club’s lack of success over the past six years, Yıldırım said, “There has been no success for six years. If I hadn’t stepped up, maybe this failure would have continued. I hope that with our initiative, this stagnation has ended.” He continued, “President Ali Bey came out and said, ‘As long as I am here, they will not make Fenerbahçe champions.’ This was a message to the technical team, players, and fans. It demoralized the players. We had draws. We were eliminated by Olympiakos. We could have won the cup. Fenerbahçe is made up of quality players. Now a good coach has come. I said we would beat Galatasaray. We were down to ten men, there were injustices, but we won.”

“EVERYTHING FOR FENERBAHÇE”

Speaking about Fenerbahçe’s new coach Jose Mourinho, Yıldırım said, “When I talked to Mourinho, I told him that Fenerbahçe needs Mourinho, and Mourinho needs Fenerbahçe. I met with him in Rome. But we did not announce it. Mr. Mourinho asked us not to disclose where we talked. We met in Rome and then parted ways. Mahmut Uslu and Mr. Önder met with Mendes in Porto. They discussed and agreed on the terms. Then the club stepped in and signed him. They have the authority to sign. As a result, my mentioning such a coach, and if they also talked, accelerated the process. In June, a coach took charge of the team. If my friends and I have even a one percent share in this, we would be happy. Everything is for Fenerbahçe.”

“WE WILL BRING WHOEVER MOURINHO WANTS”

Aziz Yıldırım indicated that if they are elected, they might continue with sporting director Mario Branco, saying, “I told the coach that we could bring whoever he wants as a sporting director. If we are elected and Mourinho wants Branco, we will continue with him. If he wants to leave, there is nothing we can do. We will bring whoever Mourinho wants.”

Regarding transfers, Yıldırım said, “I do not want to deceive people. We will sit down and talk. We explained this to him. We will solve these issues; we have always done so in the past. We were eliminated by Dynamo Kyiv, and we made five transfers in one night.”

Regarding the election, Yıldırım stated, “I want Fenerbahçe to win at the end of this congress. I served as president of this club for 20 years. All the facilities they now play in were built by Aziz Yıldırım and his friends. If we said we would do it, we did it. We will make Fenerbahçe champions. That’s why we are coming. Fenerbahçe has gone off the rails, the wagon has overturned. Fenerbahçe is heading somewhere else.”