Aziz Yıldırım says he will be gone from Fenerbahçe after May

Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yıldırım used the club's ordinary High Advisory Board (Yüksek Divan Kurulu) meeting on 24 October 2026 to announce that he will no longer be around after May, and that he will not set foot in the board meetings or the club again. Turkish daily Sözcü reported the remarks as meaning he will not serve as president beyond May 2027. The club has not issued a separate statement on an election timetable.

The meeting took place at the club's Faruk Ilgaz facilities in Kalamış, Istanbul. According to Habertürk's live coverage, Yıldırım opened by criticising poor attendance, then turned on previous administrations' financial decisions and defended his own record.

Why did Aziz Yıldırım say he will skip the board?

Aziz Yıldırım's decision to stay away from the High Advisory Board stems from frustration with turnout. By his count, the board has 6085 members, of whom 5416 have no outstanding dues and are entitled to attend. He said 318 people were in the room in the morning and around 350 by the time he spoke, asking why he should keep coming. In Turkish clubs, the advisory board is a consultative body of senior members rather than a legal decision-making organ, a point Yıldırım himself stressed.

Instead, Yıldırım said he would meet engaged members once a month and share the same information directly. He also asked the board chair to stop televising the meetings, arguing that some speakers take the floor to appear on screen rather than to address the club's problems. He reminded the audience that he had only 6-7 months left in office.

What financial figures did Aziz Yıldırım share?

Aziz Yıldırım hit back at critics who say he left behind a 600 million debt, claiming the club owed only 2 million euros when he departed in 2018. He argued that later boards sold assets in Ataşehir and Kayışdağı as well as the stadium's naming rights and boxes, and that 4 players signed in his era were sold for 45 million euros without the debt being cleared.

On the current administration, Yıldırım said 217 million euros had come into the club as of 22 October 2026, with 38 million euros currently held in cash. He added that the board had been working to bring in around 170 million euros through sponsorship and had secured part of it. The sources differ on the spending figure: Sözcü reported 155 million 186 thousand 304 euros, while Habertürk's transcript has 186 million 304 thousand euros.

How are Fenerbahçe doing on the pitch?

Fenerbahçe sit third in the Süper Lig as Aziz Yıldırım's announcement lands. According to ScoreLab data, the Istanbul club have 16 points from 8 matches, with 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, 3 points off leaders Galatasaray. In the Champions League they have 2 points from 3 games, having lost 6-0 to Aston Villa on 14 October 2026 and drawn 2-2 with Slavia Praha on 20 October 2026.

What comes next?

Fenerbahçe's next match is the Istanbul derby away at Galatasaray on 26 October 2026. They then host Göztepe on 31 October 2026 and Liverpool in the Champions League on 4 November 2026. Off the pitch, Yıldırım's remarks have opened a debate over a change of president at the club by May 2027; no formal step towards an election has been announced.

1. 22 October 2026 — Reference date for the financial figures Yıldırım shared
2. 24 October 2026 — 'After May, I am gone' speech at the High Advisory Board
3. 26 October 2026 — Galatasaray vs Fenerbahçe derby
4. May 2027 — When Yıldırım says he will no longer be in office