Demirören may run for TFF post

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Beşiktaş Chairman Yıldırım Demirören emerged as one of the most powerful men in Turkish football recently, especially after Fenerbahçe Chairman and former Union of Clubs head Aziz Yıldırım was jailed pending trial as part of the ongoing match-fixing case.

Beşiktaş chairman Yıldırım Demirören is likely to emerge as a candidate for the vacant Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chair.

Demirören’s name was checked in the Union of Clubs meeting on Feb. 7, when the chairmen of the Turkish top-flight clubs were meeting with the agenda to find a person to come to the hot seat. Last week, Mehmet Ali Aydınlar resigned from the post after seven turbulent months in the role. At present former Trabzonspor board member İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu is the only candidate announcing he would run in the Feb. 27 election, where delegates from professional football clubs will vote for Aydınlar’s successor.

On Feb. 7, Fenerbahçe vice chairman Nihat Özdemir suggested Demirören to run for the spot, the daily Hürriyet reported. However, in a statement released from the club, Fenerbahçe denied that it has suggested Demirören.

State-run television channel TRT Spor also said Demirören, who is also the head of the Union of Clubs, would announce his candidacy tomorrow. However, Doğan News Agency (DHA) Chief Sports Editor Faik Gürses has learned from a phone call with Demirören that he would not be a candidate, CNN Türk reported.

The new TFF chairman will have a tough task on his hands with a possible decision on the match-fixing case looming.

Currently eight teams, including Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, three of the country’s top four clubs, are facing possible bans as part of a match-fixing case, as part of which a total of 93 sports officials, players and coaches were listed as suspects.

The only remaining member of the big four, Galatasaray, is likely to be placed in the anti-Demirören camp if the Beşiktaş chairman announces his candidacy. Galatasaray vice chairman Adnan Öztürk reportedly called Demirören to step down as Union of Clubs chairman during the aforementioned meeting.

Former chairmen Haluk Ulusoy and Levent Bıçakcı were believed to be among possible candidates,
but they were rejected in the meeting.