Orman: We will not sell Fernandes and Almeida

New coach Samet Aybaba, himself a former Beşiktaş captain and defender, has politely indicated that he does not want to do business with Portuguese crowd-pleaser Ricardo Quaresma next season. Quaresma, as is known, was jeered by his own fans at Euro 2012.

But Aybaba has stated categorically that he wants all-rounder Fernandes and striker Almeida to stay and has made his decision known to the Beşiktaş rulers. Orman, elucidating a little bit further, asserted that the coach’s request must be carried out.

“The coach decides on the players and gives his decision to the technical committee,” Orman said. “The coach has said that he definitely wants to keep Fernandes and Almeida. The two players still have two-year contracts with the club, and therefore I have also decided that they will not be sold [come what may],” he further noted.

Extravagance a thing of the past

The pragmatic Orman asserted that there will be belt tightening and that wasteful spending of scarce resources will now be a thing of the past. “Beşiktaş is a professional institution,” he declared.

“Everyone is paid for his services. Beşiktaş has a budget, and the club will not incur debts it cannot pay back. Maybe we are going to do things the way some people do not like. Perhaps it may not please some people, but we [the Black Eagles] are only going to do what is right and what required of us,” he noted.

“From 1996 to the present day, Beşiktaş has won only two league championships. And during the reign of [former Chairman] Yıldırım Demirören [2004 -2012], the team won only one title even though he spent $1 billion -- meaning nothing was achieved by spending loads of money,” he lamented.

For the record, Demirören is the current president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).

Orman also said he was hopeful that the issue of the stadium where Beşiktaş will be playing its matches next season, while its Fiyapı İnönü Stadium will be undergoing renovation, will be resolved this week.

Beşiktaş wants to play at Türk Telekom Arena, but Galatasaray says no. Orhan also thanked Avcılar Mayor Mustafa Değirmenci for inviting them to play at the Avcılar stadium when the İnonü renovations begin.