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Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said the federation would fully cooperate with state institutions over an ongoing investigation involving referees, while rejecting criticism aimed at his administration and pledging to take all necessary steps to protect Turkish football.
Speaking to Hurriyet about the investigation being carried out by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Haciosmanoglu said the TFF was closely following the process and would fulfill every responsibility required of it.
"We will be in full cooperation with all relevant institutions of our state so that the process can be carried out in a healthy way," he said, adding that the federation was prepared to take on full responsibility for the future of Turkish football.
Haciosmanoglu said the federation was also working through plans for domestic leagues, which are due to resume next weekend.
He said the TFF wanted to take steps that would neither put Türkiye in a difficult position internationally nor damage the country's reputation, while also managing the crisis at home with restraint.
The TFF president added that the issue was being closely examined by himself and all relevant federation bodies.
Haciosmanoglu also took aim at commentators, writers and social media users who have been publicly telling the federation how it should respond.
He said Turkish clubs had made major investments, brought high-profile footballers to the country, spent significant sums and invested in facilities, while tens of thousands of people depended on the football industry for their livelihoods.
Against that backdrop, he said the federation would not spend its time responding to people who moved between television programs, columns and social media while trying to shape public perception.
"We did not and will not spend time on those who go from television channel to television channel, write here and there, lecture people on social media and say 'do this, do that' while carrying out perception operations," he said.
Haciosmanoglu also rejected attempts to hold his administration responsible for long-standing problems in Turkish football.
"No one should try to pin 15, 20 or perhaps 30 years of corruption and immorality in football on me and my board during my two-year presidency," he said.
He argued that he had long been part of the football community and had repeatedly spoken out about what he described as structural problems within the game.
Haciosmanoglu also said the federation's silence during the judicial process should not be misinterpreted, adding that he had never avoided confrontation when he believed it was necessary.
He concluded by saying the TFF trusted state institutions, called on the public to remain calm and pledged that every necessary measure would be taken as the investigation moves forward.
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