Ali Koç Outlines Challenges and Solutions for Süper Lig Foreign Player Rule

Koç said, “Some clubs have 2-3 more foreign players. This means you can’t register them. We talked about how we can assist these clubs. We reached out to them, but they were traveling for the Wales match. We will discuss this when they return.”

Following today’s Club Union meeting, Ali Koç made several comments.

Starting with the need to reduce refereeing errors in matches, Ali Koç said, “For Turkish football to progress, referees need to improve and errors must be minimized. We believe the level of mistakes in Turkey is unacceptable. We discussed how we can consult with the federation on a weekly basis to address these errors for the next season. There have been 50 changes in regulations with the new federation, and we reviewed them.”

Regarding the ticketing system, Ali Koç stated, “All clubs are unanimously against this ticketing system. We assess that it leads to a significant loss of spectators. We will develop solutions based on the needs of our own clubs. I emphasize that today’s law mandates this, but clubs in the Süper Lig and lower leagues prefer that the system be removed.”

“CLUBS’ GENERATED RESOURCES DO NOT MEET NEEDS”

Ali Koç continued, “In our first meeting with the federation, we discussed a 5-year plan to restore the economic health and independence of Turkish football. This plan includes both revenue and expenditure aspects. The current model is not sustainable. The resources generated by clubs do not meet their needs. Therefore, we discussed what can be done in these 5-year plans. One aspect is taxation. A 40% tax burden is substantial. We also discussed how to increase broadcast revenues and combat piracy.”

“NO MAGIC WAND IN ANYONE’S HAND”

On referees, Ali Koç said, “One of the biggest issues in Turkish football is referee performance. Referee appointments, training, promotions, and the lack of a performance and reward system… We make significant investments, which are negatively affected by a referee’s decision. Mistakes are inevitable, but systematic, and frequently questioned intentional mistakes need to end. From what we understand, the federation has a roadmap. We need to bring forward young referees and end factionalism. We have numerous structural issues. We hope the roadmap will yield the desired results. We must also be involved in this process, as we are the ones most affected. The fact that the federation acknowledges these issues is encouraging. However, there is no magic wand. It will take time.”

FOREIGN PLAYER RULE

Regarding the foreign player rule in the Süper Lig, Ali Koç mentioned, “In today’s Club Union meeting, we discussed this issue. The federation increased the limit from 12 to 14 to ease the burden on clubs with excess foreign players. Some clubs have 2-3 more foreign players. This means you can’t register them. We talked about how we can assist these clubs. We reached out to them, but they were traveling for the Wales match. We will discuss this when they return. We also talked about how a few clubs can be relieved of this burden. Everyone, including clubs without issues, said support should be provided to those with problems. We hope to find a solution for them.”