Chairman of Beşiktaş Yıldırım Demirören answered Sanem Altan’s questions in the program called “Off The Record” aired by NTV. Our Chairman made important statements in the program.

Statements made by Chairman of Beşiktaş at the live program held at BJK Nevzat Demir Facilities:
The football team and Jun’s Transfer
As the administration our purpose, vision and mission is to guarantee Beşiktaş’s future. We aim to carry Beşiktaş Emblem to highest levels, championships in all branches, including football. For this end, we transferred many world-famous football players and coaches for Beşiktaş, and we will continue to do so. We are still under negative effect caused by the crisis which began at Samsunspor game. We aim to carry our Team forward with young people, with players who have the Beşiktaş spirit. Beşiktaş Community does not ask for championships every year. However, it wants to see young players on the field, playing and fighting with Beşiktaş spirit. We transferred players to get rid of the pessimist thought as soon as possible. It worked or did not work. But we did it for Beşiktaş. Then we talked with our couch. We have short, medium and long term objectives ahead of us. Our short term objective is to become the Champion in the Turkish Cup, definitely by the end of the season. We have to have the Beşiktaş that will compete in Europe.
Beşiktaş has endless objectives. Beşiktaş will do whatever it deserves. We are discussing such issues with our coach. While we chase after such objectives, we want to create Beşiktaş of the future in the long term. We monitor young players both our own and foreigners alike.  Jun is 22 years old and plays for Czech National Team; he has received the “King of Goal” title by scoring the highest number of goals. He may not have gotten into a positive mood at Trabzon. That does not mean he will not be successful at Beşiktaş. This is Beşiktaş and our coach is Tigana. We rented Jun until the end of season. If we are happy by then, he has the option to play for Beşiktaş. We made our decision to go ahead with young players. We reached an agreement today with a footballer playing at Brazil U-20. We will make a monument of stability out of Beşiktaş again and become a team going after championships with young players.”
Ailton…
 “When Ailton came here, it was the transfer of the year, but it did not work, it was not meant to be. Entire public opinion was saying that he had to go. Beşiktaş did not suffer any loss. We rented him to Hamburg for 450 thousand Euros. We made sure that Ailton gave up some of his rights. We gave him with an option of 1 million 750 thousand Euros. When you add up such numbers, you will see that Beşiktaş has lost nothing.”
Being a Team and Rıza Çalımbay…
 “It is not easy to become a team; it is a long term thing and requires patience. This formation happens with patience and love. We are a new team.  This formation is time consuming. Coach Rıza was raised within Beşiktaş. Unfortunately it did not work. Of course he added some things for our Team. There will be separations next to affection. We gave up any claim that we had from each other and went our separate ways. 
Situation of the other players….
 “Except Kleberson, contracts of Cordoba and Ahmed Hassan will be up by the end of the season. First of all, if our coach would like to continue with them, we will sit down and discuss it with our valuable players. This is Beşiktaş, some will go, and some will come. Tümer’s contract is also up. We will talk about it mutually at the end of the season. He is to join the military sometime in the near future. If he prefers to go abroad, we will respect that. Beşiktaş’s goal is to lower the average age of the players. We will sit down and talk together.”
Are Footballers Worried?
 “Worryness is out of the question for sure. There are only a few facilities in the world like the one you see here. I would like to ask if the unity and cooperation, Beşiktaş spirit, ethical values and the self-confidence that Beşiktaş principles give to its players exist in other clubs.”
On Jean Tigana…
 “We are making long term plans with our Technical Director Jean Tigana. I see news on the press that I do not know what the sources are. I do not know but somehow, someway press knows. I heard that we had a meeting with Tigana, could not get along…These are made up stories.
Our contract with the Coach is valid until the end of May, with an option for 1.5 years. We will sit down and have a talk in April. We will evaluate his objectives and our objectives one more time. Of course, our Coach may receive offers from very big clubs in Europe and he is entitled to consider them. But, we are not in a position to talk about a contract, which will expire in May, before month of April. Putting such matters on the agenda now is wrong. We are talking about long term ideas, and this means something.
About Lucescu…
 “We denied a few times the news that Lucescu will come to Beşiktaş. He is a coach who contributed something for and won championship with Beşiktaş. We are in touch socially, including our families, we are friends. There is nothing else except that. There is no item on the agenda concerning his return to Beşiktaş.”
About the debt issue and did our Chairman give 11 trillion to the Club?
 “Principles of being a Chairman require modesty. We don’t like emphasizing big-headed attitude. I gave 11 trillion to the Club but let’s close that issue right here.
We can not grow without having debts. Every club has some debts but Beşiktaş is the only club in Turkey in which there is something in the asset side against its debt. Only thing that saddens me as the Chairman of Beşiktaş that it is trendy to make Beşiktaş look bad and gain a premium out of that. Every Beşiktaş fan is a shareholder of Beşiktaş. No shareholder talks badly about his/her company or club. Our Club is in the top 500 companies in Turkey. We are not running a supermarket. Those who speak on such issues should have managed and gotten used to such numbers. Figures are so large now; old way of running a sports club is in the past. As Beşiktaş Administration, we are transparent in every issue. Some people try to put Beşiktaş in such a position that they gain premiums by talking about the club’s debt. Everyone ought to know his/her position.”
BJK Fulya Süleyman Seba Project…
 “I would like to explain the Fulya Süleyman Seba Project as a whole. This is the only project in Turkey of which revenue is guaranteed. Our target to leave the club debt-free is connected to that project .We, working together in the Board of Directors, completed BJK Akatlar Sports & Culture Complex. We enlarged our Stadium by 50%. When do these stadiums fill, when do such investments become meaningful? Of course when people show up and fill them. That is, when there is sportive success, the revenues will be guaranteed. But, Fulya will generate USD 12 million annually whether or not there is sportive success.
As much as I know, this is a project spanning to 50 years back in time. Present condition was reached thanks to contributions of each Chairman, but we had the chance to begin the construction. When we said that we would leave the club debt –free, we have made an agreement with a foreign supermarket firm to receive USD 3.5 millions per year for 20 years. We guaranteed USD 75 millions. I had meetings with foreign banks in abroad in order to cash that agreement. They offered us USD 40 million in cash. My goal is to pay up all debts of Beşiktaş with that money. Now, one can say that we are cashing a contract worth of USD 75 millions for USD 40 millions and losing USD 35 millions. But, it is not so. Beşiktaş is paying USD 4 millions per year as interest. When you multiply that by 20, you get USD 80 millions. When you make the calculation right, we are profiting USD 45 millions. Also, revenues to be generated from airing of the games, on which there is an assignment, and stadium revenues will all be free. We are not using the entire annual revenue to be made from Fulya. It is wrongly explained in the press. We are using just USD 3.5 millions presently. Again, Fulya has USD 8.5 millions revenue per year.
 “İsmail Ünal, who I know to be a good Beşiktaş fan, will sign that project soon which will finish Beşiktaş’s debts. I speak up here. İsmail Ünal, who I know to be a good Beşiktaş fan, will sign that project in the near future.”
Inspection Commission…
 “That Commission was formed not just for the championship lost, but also stop Beşiktaş delegates who actually favor other teams and try to become effective in General Assemblies. I did not form it. I applied to Council Chairmanship, they favored it and the Commission was created. I also explained what I knew to the Commission. The Commission prepared a list, and getting statements of the people on that list. If necessary, Haluk Ulusoy comes and tells everything he knows openly and frankly. Sinan Engin has come and gave a statement for 2-3 hours. Every Beşiktaş fan should come and explain what he/she knows. The Commission will reach a decision after the statements are received. When I act on that issue, I did not target previous administrations. Some people also mentioned my name and Kıvanç Oktay’s name.  Beşiktaş Community has to get rid of that physiology. We will uncover everything together. We will go on with our business after all is said and done.
 “The Commission is not a legal scandal, as Bilgili put it. Also, a phrase that he used at his statement is immensely wrong. We are not in business of covering a failure as he claimed. What failure we are trying to cover? Beşiktaş has become the champion 4 times in 20 years. Where is the failure? My vision as the administration is not just about football, it is about all branches. We had history- making achievements in all branches.”
There is no Problem in the Administration
 “There is by no means any problem with the Administration. I read it on the paper and feel bad. They try to make Beşiktaş look bad and gain advantageous by disregarding our ethical values and principles. There are always discussions of different opinions in the Board of Directors. I never accept a statement such as “Board of Directors of Beşiktaş is in Dispute”. It is natural that there are different opinions in the Board of Directors. Issues that everyone is interested and points of views are different. Important thing is to bring them all on a common point. Our Administration is in office for 1.5 years. Everyone gets know one another in time. Of course that takes time.”
Message to Our Fans
 “What I kindly ask from Beşiktaş fans is that: when the team wins, they will experience that rightful pride and be happy, and they will feel sad in case of defeats. Beşiktaş’s principle is to support the team in bad days as well as good ones. Beşiktaş fan will always support every Beşiktaş player by filling the grandstands wearing players’ jerseys; of course, without making any rowdy behavior. This is what suits Beşiktaş fan.”