Turkish businessman and former Fenerbahçe board member, Sadettin Saran, officially threw his hat in the ring Monday for the presidency of Süper Lig giants Fenerbahçe.
The announcement reignites a brewing battle ahead of the club’s September 2025 election congress.
Fenerbahçe’s football team has endured an agonizing title drought, failing to clinch the Süper Lig crown for 11 straight seasons since 2013-14.
Fans’ frustrations have grown under current president Ali Koç, whose six-year tenure has yielded financial reform but no league trophies, despite marquee signings like Edin Dzeko and Sofyan Amrabat.
Saran’s pledge to restore the club’s “expected championships” has sparked fresh hope and intense debate among supporters.
Born in Denver in 1964, Saran is no stranger to sports or leadership.
A former Turkish national swimmer and University of Kentucky mechanical engineering graduate, he transitioned from public service to entrepreneurship, founding Saran Holding – a diverse conglomerate with stakes in media, sports, technology, and defense.
His sports media ventures include S Sport, Ajansspor, and tuttur.com, cementing his influence in Turkish sports broadcasting.
Saran’s prior tenure on Fenerbahçe’s board, under ex-president Aziz Yıldırım, ended amid internal disputes.
Yet after a legal battle restored his club membership, Saran’s loyalty and business acumen have positioned him as a formidable contender to steer Fenerbahçe out of its slump.
The club’s recent trajectory under Ali Koç remains contentious.
The 2024-25 Süper Lig season saw Fenerbahçe finish a strong second with 92 points, still six shy of champions Galatasaray.
Fan unrest has mounted, fueled by allegations of referee bias and Koç’s stark warning that “Fenerbahçe won’t be allowed to win the championship while I’m president.”
A fan-led petition calling for an extraordinary congress to oust the current board has gathered momentum, though Saran publicly declined to support this move, stressing respect for democratic club processes.
In his statement, Saran declared:
“Fenerbahçe is indisputably the world’s greatest sports club across all branches. It is inevitable that our football team must always be at the top. While we respect the democratic right of an extraordinary congress, removing elected boards in this manner is not right. Our team is ready to take on the responsibility at the first congress without conditions, to bring championships to Fenerbahçe as soon as possible.”
Founded in 1907, Fenerbahçe is a multi-sport powerhouse renowned for its basketball, volleyball, and football success.
Its basketball team remains a European titan, winning the 2017 EuroLeague.
But football has lagged. Despite a star-studded roster featuring Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic, league glory has slipped through their fingers.
Financially, Koç has trimmed club debt from 600 million euros ($703.3 million) in 2018 to 307 million euros by mid-2024, backed by sponsorship from Koç Holding and extensive club-owned assets.
However, financial health has yet to translate into trophies, stoking calls for new leadership.
This isn’t Saran’s first run.
He initially entered the race in March 2024, touting his team as the most prepared in Fenerbahçe’s history and courting top coaches like Antonio Conte.
But when Koç announced his re-election bid, Saran withdrew in May, pledging unity and support to avoid fracturing the club.
That decision drew mixed reactions, with some lauding his loyalty and others accusing him of weakness.
Now, with no conditions attached, Saran returns ready to challenge for the presidency in 2025, determined to reshape Fenerbahçe’s future.
The upcoming congress may also see a three-way battle with incumbent Koç and former president Aziz Yıldırım, whose ally Abdullah Kığılı has hinted at running should Saran enter alone.
Fan opinion remains split – some admire Saran’s principled stand against the petition, others doubt his ability to topple Koç’s entrenched influence.
