Stanimir Stoilov: “Both teams really played to win.”

Göztepe’s head coach Stanimir Stoilov said after the Corendon Alanyaspor match, “Both teams really played to win and wanted it. Alanyaspor had more possession of the ball, but we created more clear opportunities.”

In the 3rd week of the Trendyol Super Lig, Göztepe drew 1-1 away against Corendon Alanyaspor. Speaking at the press conference held after the match, Göztepe head coach Stanimir Stoilov noted that both teams reflected their struggle on the field, stating, “Both teams really played to win and wanted it. Alanyaspor had more possession of the ball, but we created more clear opportunities. Especially towards the end, we had 2-3 very clear chances. We needed to convert those into goals, but unfortunately, we couldn’t. I think we can say a draw is a realistic score in this contest between the two teams.”

“Punishing all fans is unacceptable”

In response to a journalist’s question regarding Göztepe receiving a 2-match stadium closure penalty from the Professional Football Discipline Board (PFDK), Stanimir Stoilov said, “First of all, I think this way. Football is for the fans. There is already a Passolig application in every stadium. Everyone has these cards. If 2-3-4 people are causing a problem there, punishing all the fans because of that is unacceptable. I think a personal penalty should have been applied. But punishing all fans in this way is absolutely unacceptable for me. I think the federation should also be a little more flexible. Not just for our club, but all fans of all clubs should not be punished because of the actions of one or two people. There is already Passolig. Everything is clear and known about who did what. Therefore, there are police according to this. They can catch them, necessary penalties can be given, but definitely punishing all fans because of a personal incident is absolutely unacceptable for me. Because I think football is nothing without fans. Fans are really valuable for football, and we are working on how to bring all football lovers to the field. We are constantly working on this. How can we fill the stadiums more? But punishing all fans in the stadium like this is really very sad. I am truly sorry for commenting on such an issue. But as I said, the federation should be more flexible. I mean, there should be personal sanctions and penalties. Absolutely all fans should not be punished because of that. Otherwise, if such practices happen every week without fans, football will be unpleasurable. Playing in empty stadiums like during the pandemic or Covid period is not enjoyable at all, and without fans, there is no joy in football.