Yes, there is.
Galatasaray is being managed poorly. This really bothers me. I’m not talking about misfortunes and occasional mistakes. Fundamental mistakes are being made. The financial situation is getting worse. At this rate, our club, which we love so dearly, will hit a wall.
Actually, this isn’t specific to the current president. For as long as I can remember, I think there have been two administrations that have made Galatasaray shine and moved it forward: the Alp Yalman and Duygun Yarsuvat eras. With all due respect, I’ll tell you what I believe: others have always led to its decline. Some, while achieving sporting success, have caused serious financial difficulties. For example, the Faruk Süren administration. Or, like the current Dursun Özbek administration, while trying to maintain financial discipline, the balance within the teams has been shaken, leading to a serious sporting decline. We’ve begun competing in competitions with a subpar competitive edge.
So, can’t financial discipline be maintained while achieving sporting success?
Of course, a club like Galatasaray, a source of pride for Türkiye, can achieve this. However, it’s essential to stand firmly behind what needs to be done.
I don’t like to talk about problems. Generally, I always focus on solutions in my work. Therefore, the main topic of this article is how we can transform Galatasaray into a financially strong team capable of competing for championships in all the sports it operates in. I need to delve into the details before I can comment further, especially on financial matters. Since I’m not involved in the club’s management (and I have no intention of doing so), I’ll be sharing my observations from the outside. However, it’s worth reading until the end as I’ll be highlighting some important points:
1. Merit: The club isn’t being managed well. Whether Galatasaray High School graduates or not, the management isn’t performing well. People who can truly contribute professionally to Galatasaray Club’s management need to be working with a plan. The current president is well-intentioned and deeply loves Galatasaray. However, this isn’t enough. He’s making significant mistakes because he lacks experience in managing a sports club and doesn’t compensate for this inexperience with the advisors or board members he could have gathered. Galatasaray’s management could also recruit potential contributors from outside. It’s not necessary to have a high school degree. There are already millions of people who are not high school graduates but are devoted to Galatasaray. This power must be leveraged.
2. Financial Discipline: Galatasaray must be managed like a company, taking into account the club’s income and expense balances. To achieve this, the following practices must be implemented:
a.Accountability: What surprises me most is that incoming boards often include successful businesspeople, who practically take on a different personality in the club’s management. We also witness truly valuable managers who make significant contributions to the club, but many make financial mistakes at Galatasaray that they wouldn’t make at their companies. This is because they view the club as an association, and since they aren’t held accountable for any of their actions, they act with the belief that they will eventually get away with it. Ultimately, they continue to harm the club. All incoming boards must be held accountable for the club’s financial affairs during their time at the helm. From now on, the managerial mantle at Galatasaray must be stripped of personal interests like “making a name for yourself.”
b.Eliminating vested interests: This is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks. You’ll never be popular. However, my outside observation is that there are many vested interests exploiting Galatasaray financially. Regardless of any objections, we must get rid of them quickly and without compromise.
c. Eliminating unnecessary expenses: Two years ago, at a general assembly I attended, it was announced that GS Store was causing operational losses. This is unacceptable. A concept like GS Store, which generates revenue no matter where you put it, can only suffer losses through unnecessary expenses. For example, overhead, exorbitant rent, consultant fees, or inflated payroll costs. These and other unnecessary expenses must be eliminated swiftly.
d. Reviewing non-revenue-generating sports: Galatasaray, which competes in dozens of sports, is undoubtedly a club we are proud of. However, we need to eliminate sports that lack sponsorships and have no potential financial contribution to the club, and focus on the remaining ones.
3. Creating a ‘master plan’ for sporting success
a. Infrastructure: I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll reiterate it now. Galatasaray needs to focus on developing infrastructure projects that will encompass all of Türkiye in relevant sports. The biggest investment needs to be made in infrastructure. This would be a project that would significantly contribute to our country and ensure Galatasaray’s future success in professional sports is sustainable. If they invested a quarter of their unnecessary transfer fee expenses in this project, they would generate incredible value. Galatasaray’s name is very big. This will ensure that things progress more smoothly when establishing such a system in the country.
b. Transfers of players under 25 with the potential to become major stars: A significant majority of our transfers of named athletes are over 30. This needs to change. To both generate future revenue from transfer fees and capitalize on young players with top-tier performance, we need to focus on transfers under 25. We also need to provide ongoing mentoring and personalized care to help these players quickly reach their potential. This move will both enhance Galatasaray’s performance in the sports it operates in and ensure its long-term future.
c. Working with the best managers and coaches in every respect: Fenerbahçe basketball team coach Obradovic is a prime example of this. Since his arrival, the team has consistently improved its performance. If Fenerbahçe maintains this system, they will soon win Europe’s biggest trophy. Obradovic is an exemplary coach in every respect. The will to win, providing the right tactics, motivating the team to the highest level, preparing them well for games, and ensuring players develop themselves are what brings success. We need the Obradovics of all professional branches. Of course, I believe there’s no place at Galatasaray for those who are driven solely by their desire to win but don’t act ethically. The secret lies in finding young players with strong skills in every respect, developing them to compete at the highest level in the international arena, and equipping them with a technical team (coach, manager, trainer, etc.) capable of bringing out their best performance.
d. Getting financial affairs in order: An improvement in Galatasaray’s financial situation is essential for sporting success. Sporting success and financial stability are akin to the chicken and the egg. Both fuel each other. Therefore, we must optimize our financial situation as soon as possible to increase our sporting success.
4.Paying due attention to ethical matters: Paying due attention to ethical matters will have positive consequences for us in many ways. It may be challenging at first, but in the long run, it will open the door for Galatasaray to achieve its deserved position. There’s a lot to write about on this subject. The first things that come to mind are:
a. Management, technical staff, and players must take the necessary care in communications: The atmosphere in our country is already tense. We need to maintain positive communication to defuse this tense atmosphere. Some of our managers, technical staff, and players act in the exact opposite way. This attitude needs to be addressed from the top, and everyone needs to get their act together.
b. Eliminating the culture of profanity and aggression: We need to work effectively and take a clear stance on this issue. Even in the lodges I’ve been in, people above a certain level sometimes use unspeakable profanities. I’m not even counting the profanities, insults, and physical fights in the Old Open and New Open stands. We need to work directly and take the necessary action to end this ugly approach. In other words, at the very least, those who swear or attack others should be barred from the stadium and publicly identified. Perhaps they will be ashamed of their actions. We can use technology for this if necessary (I know it’s possible because it’s my own business). After all, sports competitions are essentially arenas. Everyone, athletes and spectators alike, should be demonstrating exemplary behavior for society. Our already tense society desperately needs this. In short, we want to see families with their children at our fields. Those who come to unwind and lash out have no place in our stadiums and arenas.
c. Our relationships with other teams: It’s shameful that after Beşiktaş was eliminated by Lyon, Galatasaray’s social media channels featured posts about our achievements from 17 years ago. If I were in charge, I would have shown the person responsible the door the next day. This aggressive and hurtful attitude towards other teams needs to end; instead, bonds of brotherhood need to be established. Similarly, not opening our stadium to Beşiktaş when they needed it was a grave mistake. I’ve said these many times in the past. This selfishness is incompatible with the universal values Galatasaray always promotes.
There are many more details I could add to the aforementioned ‘to-do’ list. I’ll stop there for now. However, if a detailed study is requested, I can be part of the team that will develop a complete “master plan” for Galatasaray.
On the implementation side of this master plan, there needs to be a truly effective, accomplished management team that only cares about Galatasaray’s interests. Otherwise, any plan will simply remain a distant memory.
These efforts must be completed quickly and action taken. If not, I fear our club, founded in 1905 and a record of many historic achievements, will be on the brink of financial collapse.
Hitting a financial wall also means ‘Game Over.’ Since none of us want this, the most successful Galatasaray fans, those who care only about Galatasaray and pursue no other interests, need to roll up their sleeves and contribute.
Galatasaray is never alone. Let no one forget this.
Tag: sports
