Ahmet Agaoglu President of Trabzonspor. Interview
The captain (Ahmet Agaoglou) who saved his favorite Trabzonspor from the ... rocks and now wants to lead her to conquer the top of the Turkish championship
It is very important for someone to start, not from very high, but over the years and hard work, to make their biggest dreams come true. And certainly one of them is the president of Trabzonspor, Ahmet Agaoglu, the man who started at the Ahmet Ağaoğlu Kabataş Boys' High School, then graduated from the Naval School of the Technical University of Istanbul in 1979 and gradually worked as a captain.
In fact, on seagoing ships, he became an important businessman in his country, who at some point, seeing his favorite team threatened with bankruptcy and, of course, disbandment, stepped in the middle. Just like the captain who leaves the ship last… Here he just did the opposite. He entered the battle at the helm and as we all see he has won much of it, as the journey to the top which is his great goal continues at a steady pace.
Ahmet Agaoglou, 64, who was with the team for 18 years, and from 2000 to 2002 as vice-president, when he saw that the team was going to the rocks, his debts had drowned him. On April 8, 2018, he ran for the General Assembly and was solemnly elected president.
"The team was in dire financial straits. We fought and managed to save her from bankruptcy. Honestly the first two years were very difficult. But we never surrendered. First of all, we took care to collect the finances of the club. "We got in touch with FIFA and settled all our issues."
The 64-year-old, 17th president (in history) of the champion of the Turkish championship and favorite at the moment for the conquest of the title, Ahmet Agaoglou, speaks to Manos Staramopoulos and Discoveryfootball.com at our meeting in beautiful Trabzon.
Mr. Agaoglou, as captain of seafarers and large ships in general, but also later as an excellent businessman, had the way to get the team out of the way and bring it on the right path. Of course it was not easy.
DF: Mr. President, in order to achieve the financial consolidation of the club, how much time do you spend on the team?
R/: Laughs. Look. I have to admit that I sacrificed my life. 80% is dedicated to the club. But I am not upset at all, because I felt inside that it is a part of my life. "
DF: What exactly are the moves you made to make Trabzonspor financially upright?
R/: "We have reduced our budget 4-5 times. The salaries were 23 million euros. The club could not cope. So from 40 million euros we fell to 15 million euros. Then we made sure to get the "right" players in terms of management and technical leadership. It certainly was not easy. We tried to get footballers who have the same culture, speak the same language and at the right price. We even proceeded to sell football players. We gave Leipzig the Norwegian striker, Sorloth with 23 million euros. Then we follow a strategy which of course will have to be adapted to the different needs if we play in the Champions League… ". In general, we made mistakes, but as little as possible ... "
DF: We know that Trabzonspor has one of the best academies not only in Turkey but also in Europe and certainly the first one created in your country…
R/; "Indeed, we have an amazing academy of 600 children. Ages from 10-19 years old. It was created 20 years ago. Of course, this task is not simple. We have 12 teachers who teach children. We also want good people, in addition to good footballers. We have 8 fields with the latest type of grass… "
DF: What is your ambition now?
R/: "To be able to win the championship this year after many years and then play in Europe. We know it will not be easy. But I am responsible for our world, which is always close to us. Our people love the team. Besides, we should not ignore that we are the most popular club in Turkey. "Every time the team appears on the pitch, people adore it."
DF: Really what is something rare in our time, how did you manage it?
R/: "Maybe the way we fight. Whether at home or away, we aim to play football and satisfy the fans who come to the stadium. "We do not like problems or quarrels."
DF: How did you manage to get in your team, a great football player, the midfielder, the Slovak, Marek Hamsik, who definitely has an expensive contract…
R/: "First of all, we studied several things, since, as I mentioned before, we are moving with a strategy. We talked for a long time with him. We have seen that his ambitions and goals go hand in hand with ours. "There was a very good negotiation and consultation with his agent (former international footballer) Hungarian, Kalman Mesoli ..."
DF: In your team there are also two Greek children, Manolis Siopis, whose name we heard several times from the fans in the match against Gaziantepspor, as well as Tassos Bakasetas, who due to an injury could not play ..
"We are lucky because both Greeks are wonderful children. Great characters and important footballers for us. We will probably get a third with us (SS did not want to say more, as the discussions continue)…"
DF: Last year in January (Mr. Agaoglou) on his birthday, after wishing him football players and a coaching team, he answered characteristically, a fact that caused a great feeling but also emotion
R/: "I am three times bigger than most of you. It is not how long I live, but how I live. None of us has the right to celebrate a birthday without taking the championship, which is his right, in a community where we all coexist. Will we make these people happy in their graves or not? It is your decision. "
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