Football Teams Concerned over Federation's Decision to Resume Leagues

Photo: Fenerbahçe / Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish

The football leagues in Turkey will resume next month, Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Nihat Özdemir announced yesterday (May 6).

"For now, we decided to start Turkish football leagues, which were previously suspended [due to coronavirus], such as the Super Lig, first, second, third divisions and amateur leagues in the week of June 12, 13 and 14," Özdemir said in a video conference.

He stated that the federation has now different scenarios to handle the coronavirus process so that the football's actors will not be harmed.

"Players will avoid contact"

However, some clubs of the Süper Lig raised concerns over the federation's decision. "I think the date is not right, not right at all," said Rıza Çalımbay, the manager of Sivasspor. "We want to play, to finish our league in the most comfortable period. The leagues were canceled when there were a few cases, now there are many but they want [us] to play, they are resuming it too early."

He added that the players are worried and don't want to play. "The football players will avoid contact. Very bad, dull league matches will be played. Our football players will think about their families."

"I believe in our Health Minister, the Coronavirus Science Committee. This decision must be overturned by the Science Committee," he further said, adding that football players and managers were not cosulted about the decision.

Hakkı Çelikel, the chair of the Yeni Malatyaspor club, also said that the players might not want to risk themselves. "You can apply social distancing in the training but how will it be in matches?"

"We have to abide by the announced date, but how will the teams prepare themselves by that date? Whatever the Federation says we have to comply with it as clubs, but I don't think the league will be played at that time," he said.

Konyaspor said in a written statement that the decision should not be made by administrators but players and staff members. "If the leagues will start, there must be a solution that will satisfy all player groups and technical staff," it said.

Minister: It's the federation's decision

Özdemir further said that they will apply to the Health Ministry so that the new schedule for the games will be implemented and the ministry will refer the issue to the Coronavirus Science Committee.

"Following the joint works of the Health Ministry and scientific board, they will decide how the games will be played."

We stated that the Federation can make its decision with its free will and we do not want to contribute as the Ministry of Health, Science Committee.

However, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the ministry and its science committee were not involved in the decision to resume the leagues.

"We stated that the Federation can make its decision with its free will and we do not want to contribute as the Ministry of Health, Science Committee," Koca said. Özdemir and Koca had held a meeting on Tuesday.

Özdemir said that he hoped the football leagues would be completed by the end of July, the championship cups to be handed in on the pitch, and Turkey will host the 2020 UEFA Champions League final in August.

In March, European football's governing body UEFA postponed three major European finals including the Champions League final match in response to the pandemic.

Sporting events across Turkey were suspended on March 19 to stem the spread of coronavirus, which has infected more than 129,000 people in the country so far.

Super Lig clubs Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor announced resuming training sessions this week.

Turkey, to date, has registered 3,520 virus-linked deaths while more than 73,200 people have recovered. Earlier this week, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan outlined the country's normalization schedule, saying that it would go ahead "stage by stage." (EKN/VK)