Fenerbahçe presidential candidate Safi announces agreement with Sporting striker Suarez
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Fenerbahçe presidential candidate Aziz Yıldırım vowed to bring absolute championships to the club, rejecting second or third place finishes.
- Another candidate, Hakan Safi, announced he has reached a preliminary agreement with Sporting Lisbon striker Luis Suarez, who scored 38 goals last season.
- Safi stated that if elected, he will begin transfer negotiations for Suarez, who has a reported 60 million Euro release clause, and has promised the player bonuses based on goal targets.
Fenerbahçe presidential candidate Aziz Yıldırım declared his intention to lead the club to absolute championships, stating that second or third place finishes are unacceptable. "We are not here to save the day, but to dominate the years and achieve absolute championships," Yıldırım told members at a meeting. He emphasized that Fenerbahçe's only ambition should be winning titles.
Yıldırım also addressed potential transfers, promising to bring in the best players needed without using them for election material. He urged fellow candidates Ali Koç and Hakan Safi to unite for the club's recovery. "This division will lead Fenerbahçe to bad days," he warned.
Fenerbahçe için her fedakârlığı yapacağız. İhtiyaç duyulan en iyi oyuncuları da getireceğiz ancak bunu seçim malzemesi yapmayacağız. Sayın Ali Koç’a da sayın Hakan Safi’ye de söylüyorum, gelin birleşin. Amacımız F.Bahçe’yi ayağa kaldırmak. Kötü gidişi durdurmak. Bu ayrışma F.Bahçe’yi kötü günlere götürür.
Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Hakan Safi announced his first potential transfer: Sporting Lisbon's 28-year-old striker Luis Suarez. Safi revealed that a preliminary agreement has been signed with the Colombian forward's agent. If Safi is elected president, he plans to start negotiations with Sporting Lisbon for Suarez, whose transfer fee is reportedly 60 million Euros.
Safi highlighted Suarez's impressive performance last season, scoring 38 goals and providing 7 assists in 53 matches for Sporting. "Luis Suarez promised me, 'I will be the king of the Super Lig,'" Safi said. He detailed bonus structures for the player based on goal milestones, including a doubled bonus for winning the Super Lig championship.
Luis Suarez, bana söz verdi. ‘Süper Lig’in kralı olacağım’ dedi. 20 gole başka para, 25’e başka para, 30’a başka para koyduk. Süper Lig şampiyonluğuna da 2 katı para koydum.
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.