Bursaspor President Enes Çelik: “We need to present our strengths and weaknesses without any rhetoric.”

Bursaspor President Enes Çelik made both criticism and self-criticism regarding the incidents that occurred during the Düzcespor match. President Çelik stated, “As we have done until now, we need to present our strengths and weaknesses without any grandstanding.”

Bursaspor President Enes Çelik issued a statement regarding the events that took place during the away match against Düzcespor in the first week of the TFF 3rd League. In a statement he made on his social media account, President Çelik said, “I congratulate our player brothers and coaching staff for the victory we achieved in the Düzcespor-Bursaspor match played yesterday. I also thank the Düzcespor President and Board of Directors for their hospitality shown towards us. Yesterday, we played our first professional match during my presidency. As we have done until now, we need to present our strengths and weaknesses without any grandstanding. One of the most important points where we are right is that some security personnel exceeded their authority, resulting in images that deeply saddened us due to the disproportionate use of force against our fans. Regarding this issue, we have no doubt that our state will take the necessary steps through both the legal actions we are taking through our lawyers and our administrative contacts. We want the entire Bursaspor community to know that in every situation where we are right, we will always do more than our share.”

“1200 of our fans came to the 450-capacity stand”
Enes Çelik continued his statement with the following words: “Now let’s address the points where we are wrong. The capacity allocated to us, initially 225 guest spectators, was increased to 450 due to our efforts and the goodwill of the Düzcespor management. Despite this, according to official records, 1200 fans came to watch the match at Düzce Stadium. Unfortunately, a portion of our fans who entered did so without a legitimate ticket. As a result, some of our ticket-holding fans were left outside the stadium. About 150 of our fans who entered the Closed Stand by purchasing tickets from the Düzcespor ticket sales point started to chant in favor of our team. For a moment, let’s put ourselves in the place of the opposing team; it would be inappropriate for our fans to chant in the stands belonging to Bursaspor at our Atatürk Stadium. Some of our fans who came to Düzce exhibited behaviors and attitudes that are not worthy of any member of the Bursaspor community, which should not be displayed at a sports event. In conclusion, I summarize; our main goal as the Board of Directors is to elevate the brand value of Bursaspor to a higher level. At this point, the duty is not only for the board of directors but especially belongs to our fan groups during away matches. Please let us act with awareness of whether our behaviors in upcoming away and home matches damage our team’s image.