Investing in football has little return in Turkey, says ex-Fenerbahçe star Alex

Ceyhun Kuburlu HÜRRİYET / ISTANBUL

Alex de Souza, the playmaker of Brazil’s Coritiba football club, still has a large fan group in Turkey thanks to the years he spent at local giants Fenerbahçe. HÜRRİYET Photo

The return on investments in the Turkish football sector is very low, former Fenerbahçe captain Alex de Souza has told daily Hürriyet, pointing to the problems that Turkish clubs have in achieving sustainability.

The Brazilian midfielder, who parted ways with the Istanbul club in October 2012 after eight years that earned him a huge amount of acclaim and respect among Turkish supporters, said the Turkish football sector still suffered from “low lucrativeness.”

“Football in Turkey is a sector offering no returns,” said Alex, who has been playing for his hometown team, Curitiba, since leaving Fenerbahçe.

“The global football industry’s most important leagues are in Europe: Spain, England, Germany, Italy and France. [Turkey’s] Super League comes right after these,” he said, adding that the Turkish league was “not stable in terms of success.”

“A sector normally makes a return, but in Turkey the players are paid large pots of money before being sold for very low prices,” Alex said.

“In order to compete with European clubs economically, you should display the same performance on the field,” he stressed, while noting his confidence in “the potential of Turkish football” to achieve this.
The Brazilian star said he holds mainly club managers responsible for the absence of stability and sustainable success, accusing them of not prioritizing long-term policies.

“This is totally about the perspective of club managers. The long-lasting success and ability to become world brands of European clubs is related to the people who manage the clubs,” Alex said.