General Manager (CEO), Tüpraş (Türkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.Ş.)
Beşiktaş Başkanı Ahmet Nur Çebi ve Tüpraş Genel Müdürü İbrahim Yelmenoğlu, Beşiktaş ile Tüpraş ar…
Beşiktaş Başkanı Ahmet Nur Çebi ve Tüpraş Genel Müdürü İbrahim Yelmenoğlu, Beşiktaş ile Tüpraş arasında yapılan stadyum ...
About İbrahim Yelmenoğlu
On September 28, 2023, Tüpraş General Manager İbrahim Yelmenoğlu appeared alongside Beşiktaş President Ahmet Nur Çebi to announce a stadium naming rights sponsorship agreement between Tüpraş and Beşiktaş. Yelmenoğlu described the partnership as bringing together two important institutions and stated that the agreement represented the highest financial value in Beşiktaş's history for a naming rights sponsorship. He expressed that the collaboration was significant for both parties in terms of reputation. Yelmenoğlu noted that Tüpraş, which he described as Turkey's largest industrial company, has a strategic transformation plan and a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. He stated that the company views its sponsorships with Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş as part of its social responsibility efforts and that no such discussions had taken place with Galatasaray, though he did not rule out future possibilities. He also mentioned that the sponsorship was for the full season, meaning no financial loss resulted from the timing of the agreement.
Transcript (36 segments)
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Beşiktaş President0:00
I would like to thank you all. Tüpraş is a very important brand, a national giant, and Beşiktaş is one of the most important clubs in sports history. The coming together of these two communities is significant for both of us in terms of reputation. I wholeheartedly thank all the institutions and organizations that conducted sponsorship negotiations with us. We desired the best for our Tüpraş, and I wish it to be auspicious. As I said earlier, this contract is signed with the highest value in Beşiktaş history under the name of naming rights sponsorship. But more importantly, I am very happy that a national giant like Tüpraş, an industrial organization, matches our brand fittingly. I sincerely thank the other institutions for the respect and affection they showed us. I especially want to say that obtaining the highest return from sponsorships is important, but spending them in the most valuable way to contribute to the club is also crucial. I wish it auspicious for both communities and thank everyone who contributed.
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Moderator2:33
Mr. President, Mr. Yağız Eyüpoğlu, President of Koç Holding Energy Group, members of the Beşiktaş board, esteemed guests, valuable press members.
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu2:44
First of all, I am truly very happy to be here today. Welcome to all of you. Because today is an important day, a historic day, not only for Tüpraş but also for Beşiktaş. We watched our film earlier; today we say 'Tüpraş comes to Beşiktaş'. This cooperation went through many difficult processes, many meetings, and many stages. I want to talk a bit about what it means for us as Tüpraş. As you know, Tüpraş is Turkey's largest industrial company, and we have not given up our number one position for years. We recently announced our strategic transformation plan and our plans regarding our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. All of these plans are expressed with sustainability. Sustainability is together with social development, social progress. Culture, arts, sports, education, and health must go hand in hand, or economic development has no meaning. Therefore, all our economic investments and developments gain meaning only with investments, change, transformation, and progress in these areas. As Tüpraş, we are already engaged in many sponsorships, aids, and advertisements, as you all know: IKS, Tour sponsorship, passive sponsorships, Arter sponsorship, and others are just a few. We care greatly about our sponsorships. In questions and comments we receive, people ask why Tüpraş needs advertising or why it does sponsorships. But sponsorships serve our sustainability goal, because economic development alone means nothing; we feel obliged to support our society's social development. We evaluate Beşiktaş's stadium sponsorship within this framework. We have announced many transformation-related issues and investment plans, but awareness increases only when you cooperate with a institution that has large fan bases like football and Beşiktaş. This increases the likelihood of spreading to a wider area. Our aim is to make our plans known by larger masses. In this context, we truly regard the Beşiktaş sponsorship as very important and we say it is auspicious for both sides. I want to express that I am very happy to be here today. Thank you.
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Beşiktaş President5:39
I thank my general manager. Our energy group president Mr. Yağız is also here with us. He contributed a lot. He is an old friend of mine, very precious. As far as I understand, Tüpraş is pleased with us. I clearly understand from Mr. İbrahim's statements that they are also happy. We are happy too. Let's say it is auspicious. Thank you again.
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Moderator6:16
Thank you, Mr. President. Ms. Mehtap, I would like to ask for an evaluation, please.
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Mehtap6:21
I want to say welcome. Our sponsorship came to this point after long meetings. Both sides are very happy because it is both the 100th year of our Republic and the 120th year of our Beşiktaş. I believe we will do very good things together. I wish it auspicious for our community.
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Moderator6:50
Okay, thank you very much. Now we will take questions about our cooperation. Dear press members, if you have any questions, please start. Let's begin with you.
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Reporter7:02
I will have two questions. First to Mr. President: There is a general perception that Beşiktaş needed and went to Rahmi Bey, and he approved this sponsorship. But from the speeches, it seems it wasn't exactly like that; there were long negotiations. Could you explain the background of this process? And to the general manager: Sponsorships are long-term studies. This is one of the best examples in sports history, again from your holding...
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Beşiktaş President7:50
This was a process, dear Kenan. In this process, commercial discussions were important, and we tried to conduct them as quietly as possible. The other side's support shouldn't be hurt. Rahmi Bey's support is known to everyone. It would be wrong to deny our efforts in managing this process. Mr. President, Yağız Bey is my friend; that process was quite tough and intense, wasn't it? While Rahmi Bey said let's support Beşiktaş, he also insisted on getting a lot from us. So, thank you. Of course, Rahmi Bey's being a Beşiktaş fan was very important in this sponsorship. When you're a Beşiktaş fan, negotiations become a bit easier. I want to emphasize that we received his contributions.
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu9:08
Yes, your question about longer-term sponsorship. You're right. Other companies in our group have had sponsorship ties with Beşiktaş for a long time. This year we started as Tüpraş. Three years is not a short period, but whether there will be more remains to be seen. As I said, sponsorships are about what we give each other. We believe Beşiktaş will greatly contribute to the dissemination of our strategic transformation plan and sustainability goals. We aim to manage many projects in this scope. If we see that we achieve our goals, we can extend, but we'll see. We may be at this table again after three years, but I can't say that today.
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Moderator9:59
Thank you. Is there another question? Please, Mr. İsmail.
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Reporter10:06
Congratulations on the agreement. Being a Beşiktaş fan shows in good and bad times. Despite yesterday's heavy loss, Tüpraş and Koç Holding, or rather Rahmi Bey, showed they stand by Beşiktaş in bad times, sending important messages to fans and the public. Mr. President, what are your goals after this sponsorship by Turkey's leading industrial institution Tüpraş?
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Beşiktaş President10:44
You know my stance. The community knows, the sports community knows: if you can't run your economy properly and manage spending in an orderly way, sporting success is temporary. What matters is spreading this over the long term. There may be short-term pain, but you will see that Beşiktaş will be much more peaceful and benefit from these things over time. We will see together. Yesterday's match was very unpleasant. I was very sad, the community was sad, the fans were sad. As they get sad, I get sad. But these things happen in football. Over 120 years, the club has seen many things. If we stay united and patient, I have no doubt that our team is strong and will reach the target at the end of the season. But judging each match by its result is not right. Let's try to be together, show patience. I trust the team, the coaching staff, the coach. Let's accept what happened as a traffic accident and look ahead.
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Moderator12:43
Any other questions? Please.
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Reporter12:49
Hello, congratulations. I want to ask the president: When you took office, what was the balance between sponsorship revenues and other revenues? What share do sponsorship revenues currently have in the club's revenues? Has there been an increase? Broadcast revenues have dropped sharply, so I want to know the balance between matchday revenue and sponsorship revenue. My question to Mr. İbrahim: You have a sponsorship agreement with Fenerbahçe. Did the feedback you received from Fenerbahçe have any effect on this sponsorship agreement?
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Beşiktaş President13:39
Thank you. You touched on a very important issue. In a period when broadcast revenues are falling, finding sources to compensate is not easy in a short time. But thanks to our sponsors' appreciation of the Beşiktaş brand, they have valued it a bit more and supported us, partially compensating these amounts. Our sponsorship revenues are currently around 50% of other revenues, but that's not fixed because broadcast revenue depends on match attendance. From what we see, I think sponsorship revenues have roughly doubled compared to the past. We also did jersey advertising; I thank everyone again. Perhaps that was the most important jersey advertising cancellation in sports history, and behind that we have support from Beko, support from Paşa, and companies on the shorts and arms like Papara. When you add them all up, you'll see it's about double.
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu15:09
Thank you for the question. Yes, we have a sponsorship tie with Fenerbahçe. Actually, for a long time we ran the hi-force campaign together with the United Nations. That campaign was selected as one of the most successful civil campaigns by the UN and was asked to be spread to other countries. Through hi-force, many actions were taken in Turkey for gender equality and the empowerment of women, and it continues to be taken as an example worldwide. Apart from that, our sponsorship with Fenerbahçe is more about supporting Olympic branches. Our support will continue up to the Olympics, and we are extremely happy with the achievements of our Olympic athletes. Of course, these collaborations and the contributions we've seen from them have greatly influenced our decision.
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Reporter16:23
Mr. President, I want to ask first: You mentioned broadcast revenues. Mr. Büyükekşi made statements two days ago and said there is a decline. In this context, he said we might consider a playoff. What is your perspective on playoffs? Also, will the sponsorships continue?
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Beşiktaş President16:43
Thank you. For the continuation of sponsorships, currently, the available sponsorship spaces are almost complete for the football team. The last one is the stadium name. I cannot skip thanking: although nearly one-third of the season has passed, there is a misperception in the public that time was lost. Thanks to our sponsor Tüpraş, because they agreed for the entire season, Beşiktaş will not suffer any loss. I want to say that. Three months passed, but no loss of money; we compressed the full season into one payment, which was important for us. Thank them for their understanding. On the other issue: the decline in broadcast revenues stems from Turkish football not being managed correctly by all sides. It's not right to blame only the TFF. We presidents, other sports club presidents, athletes, managers, referees—we are all a whole. If value is falling, you can't blame one or two people. We will either raise it together, or continue to go down. As we go down, our revenues will fall. It's a chicken-and-egg story. We need to reverse it. The whole world accepts that football is very important, but we still haven't understood its value enough. Losses and wins are results, but focusing only on results without experiencing the process is not a right logic. We need to look further back: what are you investing in your infrastructure, what athletes are you raising, how do you manage relations and budget, is there a desire to modernize refereeing? All these are long processes. I hope we will raise Turkish football together. If we can't, complaining about falling revenues won't help anyone. Regarding playoff, I think it's a decision all clubs should make collectively. If such a result emerges, we would say let playoffs be played. There's no harm for us; it's a pleasure and income. If it happens this season, we would support it. There's no need to avoid playing and competing. Every extra game brings joy to the fans, so we would be supportive.
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Moderator20:05
Maybe another question? Please.
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Reporter20:10
Mehmet Tufan from Diriliş Postası. First, congratulations to both sides. My question is to Mr. Yelmenoğlu. Mr. President emphasized earlier and today that there was a 2-month period of sacrifice, and you paid for the entire season. What are your thoughts on this?
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu20:33
Of course, thank you for the question. If the agreement took a long time, one of the reasons was us. So it's natural that the support covers the full season. In negotiations, both sides have responsibility; of course the president wanted more, we wanted to give less, and we met in the middle. These processes are not easy. Since our meetings continued for a long time, we considered it fair to give the whole season. As Turkish people, if we can achieve fairness and tolerance, no problem remains. As we signed here, we can be peaceful and content. Thank you.
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Moderator21:21
Another question? Please.
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Reporter21:25
Hello, Mr. President. Sercan Dikmen from Sportival. Congratulations on the sponsorship. However, Beşiktaş fans are also curious about the team's results. After yesterday's defeat, it looks like the team has thrown in the towel in the league. Do you agree? Also, there have been criticisms because this has been repeated for the last two years. What would you like to say?
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Beşiktaş President21:51
Thank you. First, I want to answer about sports. But the topic today is stadium sponsorship, and I don't want to stray too far from it. I already answered earlier when İsmail Bey asked. I don't agree. We are still early in the league; there are many matches ahead. I don't think it's right to act as if we know the outcome today. I trust my team, my players, my coach, and the board. What I want to say is this: if we continue to judge and punish based on each match result, we create nothing but tension on the team. What's important is to get through this together with respect and love at least until the end of the season. I want them to wait patiently. I would do the same if I were them. But as president, I ask them to be patient and steadfast. I believe this team, this coach can get through this and will go to very high places, even targeting the championship by the end of the season. I want to remind one thing: during the pandemic, when people said this team would amount to nothing, we brought four cups to this club. So, the highest can fall, and the lowest can rise. If anyone is interested, they should analyze and look with a day-by-day view. They should not wear down the team, coach, and management based on momentary results. That benefits no one. Those who want success must first carry unity, togetherness, patience, and tolerance with them.
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Moderator23:51
We had one more question afterwards.
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Reporter23:58
Hello, Haluk Kesimlik from Radyo. Mr. President, a moment ago Mr. İbrahim mentioned the sponsorship agreement with Fenerbahçe and said it's about Olympic branches. However, we are Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü; we need to live up to our name. We are not just a football club or a football team. When will we, as Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü, become a pioneer in amateur branch sponsorships?
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Beşiktaş President24:37
Dear friends, unfortunately, football is far ahead of the others and has become an economy. So the heavy burden of clubs is on football. Some people don't even know that other branches exist. For example, we won a cup yesterday? Actually, before yesterday's bad match, we had won a cup, but it never comes to the agenda. But we need to look at the perception in society and direct people there. Last year and this year, we found sponsors for all amateur branch activities, and we ensured they run without burdening the club. I state again here: all amateur branches, including gymnastics, our wheelchair basketball team, disabled teams, all have very valuable sponsors. There is support from Beşiktaş fans who just say 'Beşiktaş' without expecting much. So I can express it that way. But it's true that they should get the value they deserve.
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Reporter27:02
Congratulations first. For both sides, I hope it's auspicious. Dear President, in football there are wins, losses, and draws. But in yesterday's match, there was a scene I don't remember seeing much in my long career. After the match ended, Salih Uçan, an Adana Demirspor player, was hugging our players. There was a footballer chat. Then Şenol Hoca came from behind, intervened, pulled Salih Uçan away, and pushed him hard. And there was Salih looking back at the coach. Do you remember this scene?
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Beşiktaş President28:01
I respectfully ask you. Thank you very much. Dear friend, the match was over. Losing is painful. In that process, all nerves are tense. If you knew the father-son relationship between Salih and Şenol Hoca, you would understand that the move was not as bad as you think. It would have been better if it didn't happen, but it's a snapshot. He wanted to get the players inside quickly because there were fans, Adana Demirspor fans. Everyone was upset. He tried to gather his players. In that process, such an incident occurred. It would be helpful to ask him directly. Even if I don't fully approve, I am certain it was not ill-intentioned. I know their relationship best; they are very devoted, respectful, and affectionate. No one should judge based on a momentary event. It's not a long-term incident; it was just an attempt to pull him inside. He was trying to get the player into the locker room because the crowd was tense. I see it as a coach's momentary action to extract his players from that atmosphere. And since they have a father-son relationship, such things shouldn't be exaggerated. They will handle it among themselves.
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Reporter30:37
I will say congratulations again. Big companies that sponsor Beşiktaş really level up incredibly, both economically and spiritually. Tüpraş is already strong, and Beşiktaş is one of the first clubs in Turkey. Since Tüpraş is a good energy deposit, both economically and spiritually, right now urgently the stadium banners need to be changed. The Tüpraş logo will likely be used there. Have you done research on this? Can you say that the banners will be made with higher quality, worthy of both Beşiktaş fans and Tüpraş?
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu31:37
Thank you. Of course, the framework and terms of our sponsorship agreement are clear. We will do whatever needs to be done within that scope. We will put the Tüpraş logo there. Thank you.
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Reporter31:57
I want to ask Mr. İbrahim. Everyone knows that Tüpraş sponsors Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş. It seems like Galatasaray is left out. Did an offer come from Galatasaray? If it came, how would you welcome it?
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İbrahim Yelmenoğlu32:18
Let me speak independently of names. As our president Rahmi Bey mentioned the relationship between him and the club, I say as an alias. As I said from the beginning, as Tüpraş, as Turkey's largest industrial company, we need to carry out certain social responsibility projects. We are aware of that, and we need to spread our projects and investments. That's why we evaluated our collaborations with Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş within this scope. We haven't had such a meeting with Galatasaray so far, but that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. However, our colleagues also pointed out that they already have a cooperation in place.
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Moderator33:00
Okay, thank you very much. Now we will move to the photo session. While we go, I also invite Mr. Yağız Eyüpoğlu, President of Koç Holding Energy Group, here.
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Beşiktaş President33:12
Yes, friends. Thank you for coming. I wish it auspicious for both communities. Thank you.