By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Before the Fenerbahce presidential election which is set to be held on 25-26 June, former president Aziz Yıldırım spoke to the press and although he said that he would not be a candidate, he presented a plan in which the basketball section will be a different entity and connected it with the possible return of Zeljko Obradovic to the team.
“We created a brand called Fenerbahçe Basketball. We played the Final Four four years in a row. We became champions once, two times. We have friendly relations with Obradovic. We say that to be successful in everything, the coach must be good. It’s hard to find a teacher like Obradovic. When you lose him, it is very difficult to replace a teacher in his caliber”, said Yildirim.
“I am really sad that Fenerbahçe, which is a brand which has reached a high level in basketball, has fallen into this situation. Because we worked hard. We made this team champion when there was no sponsor on the jersey. The budget was 30 million Euros. We borrowed money from Ülker and the bank and paid it back. After we got the naming rights of the hall, we paid our debts. There was missing money in that 4-year period, which was approximately 60-70 million euros. The same team and Obradovic continued after us. We made it to the Final Four again, but we failed. Because the unity was lost”.
Yildirim then continued with his proposal, addressing Fenerbahce’s current president, Ali Koc, stating that the basketball section of the club should be turned into an incorporated company, separated from the club.
“Now my proposal is this: Mr. Ali Koç, talk about the basketball team in your speech at the general assembly tomorrow. Say, ‘I am turning the basketball team into an incorporated company.’ My only condition is that you will turn the basketball branch into an incorporated company. We will have new management from our friends. I will bring Obradovic back tomorrow. We will play in the Final Four every year. We have a lot of money.”