Technical Director Jean Tigana made special statements to BJK TV. Tigana said that he was very happy that the camp facilities were at European standards, and added “I want confidence of our fans and I kindly ask support from everyone”.

Have you been in İstanbul previously?
I had never been in İstanbul before. But of course I knew about İstanbul.
What did you think about the team in the game played against Ankaragücü, what are your assessments?
I watched the game yesterday. The players had a little difficulty physically, but I think that it was because of Ramadan. As I hear, our players fasted due to kandil (the holly night). I think their bodies were impacted because they had not eaten or drank anything all day long. Important thing was to get a victory in that game.
You said that you had received many offers from Turkey; why did you accept Beşiktaş’s offer?
I received many offers from foreign and French teams, also from the national teams. Due to many factors in my life, I have not moved around much, could not go to different places. I had always wanted to coach a team somewhere far away.
Beşiktaş has a difficult Seville game ahead of it; there are problems due to injuries.
Yes, most important problem now is the injuries. Tomorrow, I will see the players for the first time after the game. We will need some time due to injuries. There is a 15 day recess because of the national team. We will be more comfortable among us during that time. It will be beneficial for us; we will be looking at more effective incidents then.
What do you think about the facilities and the general atmosphere?
I think they are great. I came across with an incredibly joyful surprise. I could not imagine such a nice environment in France. Everything is working well, where it is supposed to be. They are at the same level with those of the European clubs, the training and camping facilities have the same standards.
The fans were very enthusiastic at the game played against Ankaragücü. How do you assess that?
I played against a team in Turkey before and have seen the spectators. Enthusiastic fans always arises good feelings. Spectators are a part of our profession and having such a crowd of spectators is always a positive strength.
Would you tell us about yourself as a Technical Director?
First of all, I am professional and what I want from my players is to act as professionals just like I do. I will request from them whatever I had done as a player. I still live in the same rhythm as a coach. I still continue my professional life. That’s what I will ask from them.
You have achieved great success at Monaco. You played in the semi finals in UEFA Cup and the Champions League while you were at Monaco. Do you have such objectives for Beşiktaş also?
First of all, we will get to know the level of the team; I will look into conditions of our players. I can say what we can achieve and what we can do in a week. It is too early to set a target such as that.
You watched the game against Ankaragücü; which players had your attention the most?
I never judge any of the players in any way whatsoever. For me, it is all about collectivity, and it has to be collective. What is important for me is to see what we could not do yesterday and what does not work, and concentrate and work on it.
Beşiktaş has been having tough time due to injuries. What sort of measures do you have in mind?
I look at everything as a whole. First of all, we will work very hard during the preparation period. We will control each and every player as an individual. After this control, we will schedule the training programs based on the player.
Do you have anything in mind for the winter break transfer?
Of course we will achieve a few things in this period. But first we will see our strengths and weaknesses and assess the situation accordingly. We will see whether or not it is required. We will see if there is any one in the junior team that we can utilize, what we can do, if there is anyone that we can use; and we will take into consideration all of these in time.
Did you have a chance to meet with Mehmet Ekşi?
We will talk after this interview. We just said “hi” to one another. We will try to get information from all friends who were here before, and try to strengthen the information flow. This is important for us.
What can you say about Turkish football? Turkish National Team achieved a great success by taking the 3rd spot in the world. Then there is a decline. How do you see Turkish Football?
This problem is not unique to Turkish football. France became the world champion and then experienced a decline. We called the old players in order to have an upward trend again. High level players usually have that sort of problems which we face. It is very important to train the younger generation. Such problems exist in all teams which are at higher places, except Brazil. This is not the case in Brazil.
We understand from your explanations that you value the younger players very much. We suppose there may be many players from the junior team playing in the A Team…
If there are players with quality, they will have a shot with me. I called players like Henry, Trezeguet who were in the junior team in Monaco. But these are very hardworking youngsters. One has to work very hard.
You know Beşiktaş’s opponents at UEFA Cup. What do you think about Beşiktaş’s chance?
First let’s go to Seville and see; let’s go ahead one step at a time. We have a game in Turkey Cup after the game in Seville.
Do you have any message that you would like to send to the fans and the community?
I want their confidence. We will play using the maximum of our potential. That is why we came here. I kindly ask support from everyone