Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran has moved to reset the club’s leadership timeline, deciding to call an extraordinary elective general assembly as he seeks to renew his mandate amid mounting legal and political pressure.
The decision, finalized at a board meeting on Wednesday, comes just three months after Saran narrowly won the presidency and only weeks after he was placed under judicial control following a high-profile narcotics investigation that sent shockwaves through Turkish football.
Saran, a Turkish-American businessman and the owner of Saran Holding, was elected in September 2025 after edging out long-serving president Ali Koç by 257 votes in an extraordinary congress that ended Koç’s seven-year reign.
The result reflected growing frustration among members over Fenerbahçe’s lack of silverware in recent seasons despite heavy investment.
That fragile mandate was tested in mid-December when prosecutors announced that a hair sample taken from Saran had tested positive for a prohibited substance as part of an ongoing investigation.
He was briefly detained in Istanbul before being released under judicial control on Dec. 25.
Blood, urine and nail samples were reported as negative.
Saran has categorically denied any wrongdoing, insisting he has never used illicit substances and formally requesting a retest.
The case quickly became a lightning rod, fuelling debate over judicial independence, football politics and the targeting of powerful sports figures.
Inside the club, however, support hardened rather than splintered.
Fenerbahçe supporters rallied around their president, framing the investigation as an attack on the institution itself.
Senior figures within the club echoed that sentiment, urging stability at a critical point in the season.
A symbolic moment followed last week when former president Ali Koç visited Saran at the club’s facilities.
Officially described as a courtesy call to exchange views on the club’s future, the meeting was widely interpreted as a gesture of unity.
According to multiple reports, Koç encouraged Saran to seek a renewed mandate through an extraordinary congress to calm tensions and restore institutional clarity.
After days of consultations with board members, close advisers and family, Saran opted to act.
The extraordinary elective general assembly is expected to be scheduled toward the end of the 2025-26 season, likely after the Süper Lig campaign concludes, in order to avoid disrupting the team’s on-field focus.
Fenerbahçe remain in contention on several fronts.
The Yellow Canaries are entrenched in a tight domestic title race, competing in Europe and targeting cup success, while also preparing for a pivotal winter transfer window.
Club officials are keen to shield football operations from political uncertainty.
Saran has confirmed his intention to stand for re-election. A fresh victory would allow him to continue with renewed legitimacy; defeat would trigger an orderly transition, a stance he has framed as putting the club above personal ambition.
Extraordinary congresses have long been a pressure valve in Turkish football, used either to confront crisis or consolidate authority. For Fenerbahçe, one of the country’s “Big Three,” the stakes are magnified. Every leadership decision reverberates far beyond the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.
An official announcement detailing the congress timeline is expected imminently.
