Controversial congress at Kocaelispor

Extraordinary general assembly with elections in Kocaelispor, a day before announcing that fans will not be allowed in the hall and delegates not wanting to approve Engin Koyun’s term made a mark. A voting crisis in the hall lasted about 20 minutes. The general assembly of Kocaelispor Club, where Recep Durul, who took over the Kocaelispor Club Presidency after the resignation of President Engin Koyun in the Trendyol 1st League 2023-2024 season and brought the club to an extraordinary election congress, started with a minute of silence and the national anthem being sung. However, the incident that marked the general assembly was the reaction to fans not being allowed in the hall and the tension during the non-approval of the management and audit board reports. Delegate Aytunç Çetinbaş, speaking, opened a Kocaelispor scarf by saying, ‘I condemn you for not allowing fans into the congress. The fans are always with Kocaelispor till the end. The real owners of the clubs are the fans. We will not forget.’ Then it was announced that fans could enter the hall and the door they could enter was shown. After the delegates spoke, the approval of the reports began. Delegates in the stands reacted to the direct approval by raising their hands. Delegates who are not present in the hall expressed the need for identity checks, stating that it creates uncertainty about who participated in the vote for what reason. Divan chairman Sinan Üner went up to the stands to check the delegate cards in the hall. However, the reaction that delegate cards did not belong to their actual owners increased. Upon minutes of tension, the chairman of the board announced that the accounts for 2023 and 2024 were voted and approved by a majority vote. Then the delegates chanted slogans of protest at the chairman of the board. The chairman of the board threatened to remove the delegates from the hall. As the tension escalated further, papers rained from the stands onto the field. In the minutes when ‘no’ votes were not counted, and all votes were tried to be passed directly by majority vote, one of the former presidents of the club, Bahri Yavuz, intervened. He said that the majority of the delegates did not approve the reports, but instead of making assumptions to make the number clear, they should go to the ballot box. The chairman of the board’s tough attitude and harsh words towards the delegates caused the ‘Board resign’ chants to rise. Subsequently, the financial reports for 2023 and 2024 were not approved by the delegates. Presidential candidate Recep Durul asked for luck from the delegates. Coming to the podium, Recep Durul said, ‘If you listen, I will explain. We will not carry the mistakes of the past to the future. But let’s question the past together. These are a process. We cannot correct with these judgments. We will see the truth, the wrong in the stages of the process. Judgment begins before the election. If we love Kocaelispor and want to advance it, if we want to raise our children, we must all grow together. I am in favor of criticism, of course. But it must be qualified. Each of those involved in the management has a different structure, thought, character, and productivity. We cannot put everyone in the same basket. Yes, I was in Engin Koyun’s management. He invited and wanted to benefit from my experience. The leader is different, the duties of the managers are different. It is the skills of the leader who will advance the institution. When there is a mistake, the mistake is asked first from the coach and the president. I did my best in the management as much as I could. I will continue to do so.’ He said. ‘I want to eliminate polarization’ Durul, who stated that he is ready to put his hand under the stone for Kocaelispor, said, ‘We will manage Kocaelispor correctly. I want to include all stakeholders in the process. I want to eliminate polarization. We will eliminate polarization. We can move Kocaelispor forward with unity and togetherness. It is too early to compare us to today with what has been done in the past. But let’s judge the past. If merit is not at the center, the structure collapses. Let all Kocaelispor enthusiasts support our team. Let’s not marginalize our children, let’s not demonize them. Let’s give the management this chance, this opportunity. Then let’s ask for an account. If we hit an iceberg, the mistake will be mine. The mistake in the past period was the mistake of President Engin, if I make the same mistake, judge me too.’ After the speech, the approval of the 10th article, the audit board report, was rejected by majority vote. Due to the absence of disciplinary and registration board reports, the next article was moved on to. The estimated budget for 2024-2025 was discussed and voted on. The estimated budget for the new season of Kocaelispor was accepted as 300 million TL.