Beşiktaş seeks way out of financial

ISTANBUL

Beşiktaş chairman Fikret Orman speaks during the club’s extraordinary financial congress. Orman says Beşiktaş ‘is in toruble and will not take any more loans.’ AA photo

The administration of Beşiktaş is seeking ways to address the club’s 600 million Turkish Liras in debts that are believed to be the reason the club was ban from European competition under financial fair play rules.

“Beşiktaş is in trouble; we will run the club within the boundaries of the budget and will not take any more loans,” Beşiktaş Chairman Fikret Orman told participants at the club’s extraordinary financial congress June 10.

Beşiktaş has been dealing with financial woes for the last couple of years, but the club able to float thanks to money injected by its former chairman, Yıldırım Demirören. Demirören was elected as the chief of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) last February; Orman was elected to replace him in March.
Beşiktaş executive board member Berk Hacıgüzeller said the club’s total debt was 581 million Turkish Liras ($317 million), including 100 million liras in debt to Demirören. Beşiktaş faces 142 lawsuits from its creditors, Hacıgüzeller added.

UEFA, last month banned Beşiktaş, which was scheduled to play in this year’s Europa League qualifiers after finishing fourth in the Turkish league, for one year from European competitions for failing to pay its players regularly.

Orman said the club’s last eight years, during which Demirören served as a chairman, were the subject of a financial probe. “We are trying to be nice, but this does not mean that we are trying to hide something,” he said. “I will receive the report when the probe is over, and don’t worry, we will do what is necessary.”

Serch for new coach

Meanwhile, Beşiktaş’s search for a football coach continues with the latest candidate being Antalyaspor coach Mehmet Özdilek.

Özdilek, an ex-Beşiktaş player who played for the Istanbul club from 1988 to 2001, is reportedly interested in the post but needs permission from Antalyaspor.

Beşiktaş has been without a coach since the club parted ways with Tayfur Havutçu last month. Since then, the club reportedly shortlisted many foreign and Turkish names for the job, including former Beşiktaş coaches Mustafa Denizli and Rıza Çalımbay, Thomas Doll of Germany and the Greek national team’s Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos.