Fenerbahçe break ground on new football academy in Istanbul

  

Turkish Super League side Fenerbahçe have broken ground on a major new project based in the Maltepe district of Istanbul, which will be the site of a brand-new football academy.

A ceremony promoting the project was held at the Can Bartu Texas training ground and was attended by Club President Ali Koc, Vice Chairman Hamdi Aken, first-team players, academy players, former players, and official guests.

Vice Chairman Aken announced that Fenerbahçe have launched an €850m investment initiative that will include a range of facilities. “The financial stabilisation period has ended, and we are starting the investment period. We will turn our undeveloped lands into high-value assets by obtaining the necessary construction permits,” he said.

The academy project is just one part of a larger infrastructure plan:

Development of a property in the Ataşehir district, in collaboration with Emlak Konut.

Construction of a new college on the site of the old Kayışdagı School.

A new project for the old Kenan Evren Lyceum, the construction of which will begin before the end of the year.

A complete renovation of the Dereşi base, which will be transformed into an “athlete’s factory” for all amateur sports of the club, as football operations will be moved entirely to the new academy.

Club President Ali Koç said he was filled with pride, excitement and happiness, as the academy project was a major promise when he took over in 2018. He stressed that this is not just an investment, but the foundation of the club’s future, which will make it financially independent and self-sufficient.

“Today we are not pouring concrete, we are pouring hope,” said Koc, adding that the project is not only the work of the current management, but also of the future generations of the club. Koc expressed his gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister Murat Kurum for their support in implementing the project.

The president also used the occasion to clarify recent developments surrounding the men’s football team. He revealed that Jose Mourinho was planned to remain at the helm of the team, but after the first five official matches of the season, it became clear that the team’s performance did not match the club’s ambitions and the huge value of the squad (over 315 million euros). For this reason, the management has taken the “very difficult but right decision” to part ways with Mourinho.

Koc announced that, after a detailed analysis and evaluation of the available alternatives, the club has decided to appoint Domenico Tedesco as the new head coach. “This decision is not populist, but based on data and in-depth analysis. We believe that this change will bring us the championship title,” he said.

The president stressed that the work of the management is focused on the future of Fenerbahçe, not on the upcoming elections at the club. “Our biggest debt is not to the banks, but to our members and fans – our duty is to become champions,” he concluded.

After the speeches, Ali Koç and other club leaders symbolically pressed a button to lay the foundation of the new academy, marking the beginning of this historic project for Fenerbahçe.