Sadettin Saran: One of the most difficult aspects of being Fenerbahçe's president is staying calm under pressure

Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran made statements and assessments regarding the current agenda at the press conference held at the Chobani Stadium Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium 1907 Stand. Sadettin Saran, emphasizing that the most difficult part of being Fenerbahçe's president is staying calm under pressure, said, "This is my first press conference as president. I'm a little excited. We didn't impose an accreditation ban here today. Hopefully, we won't do so during my term. I will be fair and transparent with you all. Fake news is very damaging to us. I expect sensitivity on this issue. As soon as I arrived, everyone expected the president to be a knife. He'll take heads, tear them off, hang them, cut them off… There was a lot of pressure on this issue. One of the most difficult parts of being Fenerbahçe's president is staying calm under pressure. It was very easy to do. We came, we let the coach go, and we could have made people say, 'Wow, look at the president, he's done his job.' When the players arrived, there was Mourinho, and five weeks after his arrival, Mourinho left. They had a terrible preseason camp in Portugal. Three weeks left, and Tedesco arrived. Three weeks later, Ali Koç, who has been president for seven years, left. Sadettin Saran, who the players don't know, arrives. We always said we shouldn't hold elections in September. I said it was a dead end." But when I went to Samandıra, I didn't even say enough. During that period, we encountered things like, "He can't run for president, he won't be elected if he runs, he won't get the mandate if he's elected," and "He won't get the mandate." The promises made in Samandıra during the election period weren't kept. The players were left hanging. People said they couldn't pay the salaries. We've paid 39.8 million euros since we arrived. Our players were following the election in the second half of the Kasımpaşa match. This escalated to the appointment of a trustee. They said the federation was meeting and they wouldn't issue the mandate. We've been through this. We need to fight against our own internal structure. Those who spread false news are doing us great harm. I will expose these people and deal with them throughout my term. In this atmosphere, we won, and the next day I went to Samandıra to say hello and introduce myself. I said, "If we don't lose out on tomorrow's Zagreb match, it would be good." That was the mentality. With all this going on, if I had sent Tedesco as soon as I arrived, there wouldn't have been even a single connection left with the players. I called and spoke with the players. I spoke with the players too. Tedesco, the players... He's earned his trust. He's a hard-working man. When he makes a mistake, he says he won't do it again. As long as the players love and trust him, I've decided to stand by him. I thought he deserved a chance, and we'll stand by him. We made the changes after discussing them together. We shouldn't see this as a punishment. It's temporary. Duran really has an injury. I saw the MRI myself. Hopefully, he'll be with us in a few weeks. I think we'll get better. We hired a psychologist. We saw what the players need. We're doing this to boost the team spirit here. I know there's some criticism for me. I talk to Mr. Ali occasionally. I hope we can have a similar dialogue with Mr. Aziz. We signed everything since September 21st. Ali and I have very little in common: love for Fenerbahçe and Atatürk. Other than that, everything is very different. I'll try to maintain the best possible dialogue. After I'm gone, no one will say "Sadettinci." No one is anyone else's man; everyone is Fenerbahçe's man. Next week's general assembly is very important. It's been very difficult to determine the precise scope of this before. "I don't think it was explained well. Any Fenerbahçe fan with common sense will see how important it is," he said.

"WE WILL CONTINUE THE SAME EFFORT"

Saran stated that they will continue the same struggle regarding the pre-1959 championships and the July 3rd process, saying, "The previous administration made a great effort on this issue. We will continue the same efforts. I will also appoint someone from the previous administration who worked on these issues as an advisor. This will provide support."

President Saran continued his speech with the following expressions:

"Unfortunately, some people think we like it too. I said, 'We will never resort to excuses.' There's no wreckage, but even if there were, we wouldn't be able to say anything. There was extra spending due to the election. We will fix that, too."

'WE DON'T SEE A PROBLEM THERE'

Speaking about the allegations surrounding Kerem Aktürkoğlu's contract, Saran said, "We and the federation have the contract. We've reviewed it, and it's been discussed with UEFA. We don't see any problems there."

'I'M NOT SAYING WE WILL CONTINUE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS'

In response to the question, "Do you say we will continue with Tedesco under all circumstances?", Sadettin Saran said, "We are not saying 'we will continue no matter what.' We are focused on success."

Saran, who stated that he met with basketball team head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius this morning and will discuss the contract, said, "I spoke with Saras this morning. We like and trust him. There are some shortcomings and injuries. I believe he will improve. We will also discuss the contract."

"ON THE FIRST DAY I SAID 'WE ARE A FAMILY'"

Sadettin Saran, stating that they would not share the family's events outside, said, "When I went there the first day, I said, 'We are a family.' I make that clear at every opportunity. Things happen within the family. An arm breaks, and it stays in its sleeve. I won't share the details. We made that decision. I'm back in Samandıra tomorrow; I was there two days ago. Ertan was there. I'm not a chairman who yells, screams, or tries to pressure the referee. When the time comes, I will defend my rights to the end. I'm not someone who fights just for the sake of fighting. Before the Samsunspor match, they said things about the referee were this and that. I believed he would officiate well. And he did very well. I approach the referee with the expectation of a good referee, not the expectation of a bad referee."

Speaking about his visit to Murat Ülker, President Saran said, "I told him that too. He is one of the people who has made the greatest contributions to Fenerbahçe. That's why I visited him. He has a promise for me. I will remind him of it at every opportunity. God willing, we will do great things together."

'I SAW 3 MAIN PROBLEMS'

Saran, stating that he saw three fundamental problems before running for president, said, "If we put aside one of my biggest dreams, which is to become a champion, I saw three fundamental problems: communication, decision-making, and football acumen. My team and I ran because we believed we could make a difference."

Speaking about ongoing projects and the Banking Union, President Saran said, "We will continue those projects as much as possible. We have a meeting with Minister Murat Kurum soon. We believe we will leave the Banking Union very soon. We are working day and night. We are also meeting with the banks. We have made some progress. There are one or two banks that are dragging their feet. We have also advised them accordingly. For now, we are approaching with good intentions."

'WE RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR SPONSORSHIP'

Saran also touched on sponsorship efforts, saying, "We're receiving professional support for sponsorship. We'll also increase revenue. I'm confident we'll leave a better picture behind when we finally do."

Stating that a wrong was done to Devin Özek, Saran said, “Just as a wrong was done to Duran, a wrong is also done to Devin Özek.”

'I WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING'

When reminded that he had promised a championship within a year and a half, Sadettin Saran said, "If I were to bring in someone new to this team with this kind of mentality, I don't think he would have done anything very different. It's easy to be populist, but it ruins work ethic. I want to do the right thing. Some promises made to Tedesco didn't work. I believe this right should be given. We will stand behind it. I don't think there will be a backlash. The greatest strength is being right. Populism is not something I will bend to."

'WE WILL SEE A DIFFERENT MERT HAKAN'

Saran, who stated that he had a meeting with team captain Mert Hakan Yandaş and that he would be a different character, said, "I spoke with Mert Hakan. We need a big brother outside the team. The players trust and like him for leadership. I didn't see any harm in him remaining captain. I observed that he had a positive impact. We'll see a slightly different Mert Hakan. We'll see a more productive Mert Hakan, one who is completely focused on being a big brother. By the way, we've also made Çağlar captain."

'I VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF KADIKÖY'

Saran, stating that they won't do anything to look good, said, "I really care about the spirit of Kadıköy. We were visited by the government the other day. I made a promise. If we can't win a championship in a year and a half, we won't. If we do, we'll stay. We won't do anything to look good. We won't cancel anyone's season ticket on our own initiative. We won't show favoritism to anyone."

Sadettin Saran, stating that he wrote letters to both former presidents and that the powers to be requested at the general assembly had not been fully explained before, said, "I wrote letters to both presidents. They will arrive today or tomorrow. Aziz Bey's call at the time wasn't very clear on the scope of the call. We will explain it much more clearly. I don't think there will be any problems."

Providing information about the transfer process, Sadettin Saran said:

"We are working seriously on the January transfer window. We had developed a footballing mindset. We started working with the coach. Transfers in January are always difficult. I know how difficult it is. There is also the World Cup this year. We have started working. We are seeing what you are seeing."

"WE WILL DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM AND FOR FENERBAHÇE"

Saran, stating that he had spoken with one of the players excluded from the squad and would meet with another tomorrow, concluded, "It's absolutely not true about foreigners. Whatever happened in Samsun and Samandıra is a family matter. We won't discuss it outside. We've done everything necessary to prevent similar incidents. I spoke with one of the two players, and I'll meet with the other one tomorrow. We'll talk to them. We'll do what's best for them, for Fenerbahçe. These players seem to be doing very well in this regard. I'm a father myself. These guys are also role models for society."

DHA

Reporter: News Center