Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu attended the 28th General Assembly of the European Clubs Association held in Istanbul. Minister Kasapoğlu made the opening speech of the general assembly chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the European Clubs Association, and attended by the presidents of football clubs in Europe, representatives of national and international organizations, and important names from the sports media.
Minister Kasapoğlu expressed his satisfaction for the 28th General Assembly of the European Clubs Association to be held in Istanbul and said, “Just as this city brings together different cultures on two continents, it now brings together the most important stakeholders of football. To the European Club Association, “Thank you for bringing the members of the General Assembly together in Istanbul. It is a great pleasure for us to see many different European clubs represented here.”
Emphasizing that Turkey is a country of football, Minister Kasapoğlu said, “Football is a source of inspiration for millions of people all over the world as well as in our country. Thanks to the passion of the Turkish people for this beautiful game, Turkey has become a country of football. Turkey’s football legacy is in Europe and beyond. Founded at the beginning of the 20th century, the Turkish Super League works to offer the highest quality and most passionate football. Turkey, a member of UEFA since 1962, has made significant contributions to European football and its management,” he said.
“LOVING SPORT IS THE BASIS OF OUR SPORTS DEVELOPMENT”
Noting that great revolutions have been made in the football infrastructure in Turkey recently, Minister Kasapoğlu said: “In the last 20 years, we have made significant progress in accelerating sports facilities and harmonizing sports legislation with universal standards. Our stance towards values such as making sports popular form the basis of our sportive development. As a result, sports is at the center of Turkish culture with more than 20 thousand sports clubs, of which 4 thousand are amateur and youth football clubs.In parallel, Turkey is on the way to become a sports country with 65 sports federations.As a result of the sports revolution we have realized with all these efforts Turkey has won a significant number of medals in various sports branches in all international organizations it has participated in in recent years.
“OUR COUNTRY WAS APPRECIATED BY THE SPORTS COMMITTEE WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS”
Minister Kasapoğlu reminded that they have successfully hosted major organizations as a country and said, “We have hosted the UEFA Champions League draws in Istanbul for the last two years. Thanks to its modern sports investments and infrastructure all over the country, our country has won the appreciation of the sports community with the international organizations it has organized so far. Turkey will host the 2023 Champions League Final. On this occasion, I invite you all to witness this magnificent football feast together. We are ready to realize this organization in the best way with your support. Apart from these, as one of the newest members of the Extended Sports Partial Agreement. , at the end of October this year, we will host the 17th Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sports of the Council of Europe in Antalya. I am also very honored and happy to invite you to this Ministerial Conference. As the Ministry, our aim is to promote sports, which is an important component of tourism and diplomacy. arrival it’s up,” he said.
Minister Kasapoğlu, who praised the fair distribution model of the European Clubs Association (ECA), said:
“With the support of ECA, I have full confidence that our major football organizations will benefit greatly from the fairer distribution model, especially the ECA Board of Directors. I thank Mr. President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi for representing such a great Association and at the same time always thinking of the entire ecosystem. “I would like to express my sincere thanks for not allowing initiatives to end open competition. Inclusivity and unity are the values that ECA clearly represents and the power of football cannot be underestimated in supporting these values. I believe that this General Assembly will contribute to the unity and solidarity of all our clubs. I believe that all of you in Turkey” I would like to reiterate that we are very happy to host you in .