UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Büyükekşi elected TFF president

Mehmet Büyükekşi has been elected unopposed for a one-year term as the new president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).

TFF president Mehmet Büyükekşi
TFF president Mehmet Büyükekşi TFF

“My principles will be trust, consistency and justice in my new duty,” the 61-year-old former president of Turkish Super League club Gaziantep FK told delegates at the TFF’s extraordinary general assembly in Ankara.

“The TFF will be an innovative, transparent and institutionalised organisation. That’s why for the first time ever in the federation’s history, we now have two female members on our board.”.

Business background

Gaziantep-born Büyükekşi, a graduate of two universities in architecture, business and English language, has been a member of many business associations, and is currently a board member at the Ziylan Group, a company which specialises in manufacturing footwear.

He emphasised the need to raise the brand value of the Turkish Super League to have a profitable product, especially in other countries. “We aim to get the clubs out of a debt spiral,” Büyükekşi said, “We need to take some measures about this and have a brand new approach.”

Coordination with clubs vital

Underlining the necessity to work closely with Türkiye’s clubs, the new TFF president added: “We aim to establish a League Coordination Board in which a representative from the clubs can be present. I also have a positive approach to requests to establish a Reserve League. We hope to launch this in the 2022/23 season.”