Şenol Güneş on Arda Güler and Turkish Football

At the Brand Week Istanbul event held at the Haliç Congress Center, Şenol Güneş drew attention to the structural problems of Turkish football. Citing Real Madrid's rising star Arda Güler as an example, Güneş said he was a talent who could be counted among the best five players in the world. Stressing that Turkey has a valuable source of athletes, Güneş argued that there are serious difficulties in developing these values through proper training, and that potential is being wasted because resources are spent without a sustainable system being built.

Recalling his own playing years, Güneş said conditions were much harder than today. He noted that in the 1970s there was not even television, and following World Cup matches was considered a dream. He recalled playing against Brazil three times, and said that at the time Turkey could not even arrange a friendly match with Brazil. Saying that conditions are very different today but that criticism culture has crossed the limits of respect, Güneş said people can insult others without being involved in the matter, and that one of Turkey's biggest problems is that everyone speaks without in-depth knowledge.

Stating that the steady success of the A Milli Women's Volleyball Team should inspire all branches, Güneş said volleyball serves as a role model for children through proper management and planning. He said he wanted to implement a similar educational project for children and young people in football, and that he had made efforts in this regard, but got stuck on the system's blockages. He said he was told he would need to become federation president for this, and argued that his experience should be used wherever it benefits Turkish football.

Güneş also voiced his discomfort with the commercialization of modern football and uncontrolled financial spending. He said that as football has turned into a huge commercial market, athletes have handed over their career management to agents, and where money becomes the goal, the spirit of the profession is lost. Stressing that talent alone is no longer enough and that the professional organization behind it has become decisive, Güneş said uncontrolled spending without analytical planning produces disappointment instead of lasting success.