Cem Ciritci, who came to Munich for the matches that Fenerbahçe Beko will play against Israeli teams Maccabi Rapyd and Hapoel IBI in Munich, Germany, answered the questions of the AA reporter.
Underlining that they played their home games in Germany due to Israel’s attacks on Palestine, Ciritci said, “This situation brings certain difficulties for us. But we play as if we were at home in Germany. Our team is well prepared. Our motivation is also in place. We were with our basketball players in the football match last weekend. There was a good unity there too.” he said.
Stating that the team could not make a good start to the season, Ciritci said, “We are going through the same process as last season. There are 5 players who left and 4 players who replaced them. 3 of them are from the USA and they suffered injuries as soon as they arrived. Jantunen also came from the European Championship. They are just adapting to our coach’s tactics and training methods. When they achieve this harmony, we will again be the number 1 candidate for the Final Four and the league.” He made a statement.
“WE WANT TO WORK FOR MANY YEARS”
Stating that they are constantly working on the transfer issue, Cem Ciritci said, “We are constantly in contact with our coach. We are negotiating on the players we like. We are ready to make the transfer that our coach deems appropriate and the conditions meet.” he said.
Speaking about the contract of head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, Ciritci said:
“We are very pleased with our coach. Both his character, his ambition on the field, and his influence on the players and the fans are very compatible in our opinion. We are very pleased and want to work for many years. Our negotiations regarding this are continuing. Our negotiations are progressing a little slowly because the match schedules are very busy. But there is no problem. I hope we can resolve it around December.”
Emphasizing that Fenerbahçe and Anadolu Efes have invested heavily in basketball, Ciritci said:
“We are the locomotive club for Turkish basketball. We make a very important contribution to the sport in both youth and women’s basketball. This will continue to develop. We have 2 European League (EuroLeague) championships for men and 2 for women. This has increased the interest in basketball among the young generation. We also want to make a revolution in the infrastructure. We are working on this under the leadership of our esteemed president. Our relevant executive friends will announce this soon. This is very important for us. Having players from the infrastructure adds value to us. We are a player in Europe. “There is a shortage of players. You cannot find the player in the position you want. This is a handicap. One of the ways to solve this is to value the infrastructure. If the clubs did not make this much interest and investment, I think the success of the national team would be difficult. This is a team game and we have 8-10 teams at the European level. All of these teams add value to the national team.”
“THE TEAM HAS AN AIR OF BROTHERHOOD, INTEGRITY AND TOGETHERNESS”
Speaking about the point difference between the leader Galatasaray and the leader Galatasaray in the Trendyol Super League being reduced to 1, Ciritci drew attention to the matches that will be played after the international break.
Underlining that he speaks as both a fan and a manager, Ciritci said, “Our goal is to win the matches between Çaykur Rizespor and Galatasaray. We have full faith in this. I predict that we will complete the first half as the leader. There is an atmosphere of brotherhood, integrity and togetherness in the team. Our president was saying this before the election. We see that this is not in words, but in action. We all take care of all our athletes in their branches one on one. The positive effect from the president spreads to everyone. The change in the environment in Samandıra, “It is not surprising to us that the athletes hold on to each other and embrace Tedesco, we predicted that this would happen. This situation is hopeful and better days are ahead for Fenerbahçe.” he said.
Speaking about the referees and football players who were referred to PFDK on the grounds of betting, Ciritci said:
“We do not know much about the details. Investigations are continuing, it would not be right to say anything. We are always on the side of the truth, let whoever is right or wrong be revealed. If this needs to be answered in the face of justice, the people involved in this matter will either be acquitted or accused in the face of justice. Of course, we want a clean league in both basketball and football.”
Finally, sending a message to the fans, Ciritci said, “We want a little more patience. This team went through the same processes last year. We meet with our coach every day for the necessary reinforcements. We are ready to fulfill it when he deems it appropriate. Hopefully, we will achieve better results soon.” he said.