Ali Koç on NTV's "The Story of That Moment" (March 6, 2021)

Hello, dear grandfather... Let us remember him with love and respect. I was 6 or 7 years old in 1973-74. We used to visit him often at his home, like in TRT. One of those visits was the 'Three Brothers' visit. We usually went in the evenings, arriving around 7:30-8:00. The evening news would be on until 8:00, then we'd have dinner. When the weather report came on, we'd finish dinner, and when sports started, the TV would be turned off and we'd sit and chat. It was always like that until around 9:39-9:45. He spoke little but made precise points. Later, we went abroad to study at different times. The day after we returned, we had to visit that house. One time I was late by four or five days, and he called me, asking 'Where are you?' I said I couldn't come. He scolded me, saying 'You never went to America, you never missed a flight, why didn't you come?' He called his classic team and they spoke English. He valued education and made plans for the future. Some of those plans came true, some not exactly as he wanted. I think we are still on the path he drew. He had a colorful, bright life. What kind of childhood did Ali Koç have?

I was a mischievous child. My older brothers were 5-7 years older and went abroad to study. I stayed in Turkey and had a street kid life. We didn't have such a protected life back then. I had a street life. In summer, I'd pump up bicycle tires and play in the neighborhood. We'd cross the Bosphorus from one side to the other. Today, a child doing that would have security around. We had a freer life. We used to steal fruit from the greengrocer, play under the mulberry tree, and play a lot of football. My older brothers also liked to spend time with me, but there was a big age gap. Later, I realized that when I thought I was playing, I was actually being tortured. They would tie me up, run over me with bicycles, turn off the lights, and shine a flashlight in my eyes. I thought it was a game, but it was torture. I had good times at Maçka Primary School. I was the best at football and would skip school. I played football with older kids at Maçka Park. Sometimes they couldn't find me when it got dark. They saw I was uncontrollable and decided to send me to a boarding school in England for discipline. This photo is from that school uniform. I was 12-13 years old. They sent me to a boarding school in the south of England. I adapted quickly; it was a good experience. At that time, Turkey's relations were limited. My mother had to leave me at school and could only visit once every two years. She said 'I'll come see you,' but the school said she could come after 3 weeks. She was crying, but I calmed her down. I adapted quickly; I realized I had a resilient personality. I never cried. I endured hardships. Those were good years. Then I moved to another school, a boarding school from age 13 to 18. It was a beautiful school with 500 years of history, strong sports traditions, and a uniform that hadn't changed for years. We had to wear a hat to school and eat fish on Sundays. That was my English education.

First, the classic path to America. After finishing boarding school, I went to university. Actually, I came back to Turkey, but there was no Atatürk then, so I went to Texas for a master's program. I spent five years in English culture and education, then a completely free American culture. You could go to class or not; nobody cared. In my first semester, I did a lot of sports, got injured, and had knee surgery. The health system was very advanced. I couldn't recover for a week. I didn't go to school for two weeks, and nobody called or asked. It was a good system. When I started, I had grades around 71-80. They saw that the knife was at the bone and called me in, saying 'Your situation is like this. You decide: either throw your parents' money away or study. You can't hold on.' I adapted to the system. Academically, I did everything at the last minute. I'm not saying I was lazy, but I wasn't hardworking either. I did just enough. Now, when my daughter Leyla sees me, she says 'Dad, I do the same thing and you scold me at home.' I was like that. I never studied more than necessary. I got by with adequate academic performance. Then I went to work in America. Why did I go to America? Because I came from a business family. I studied economics and business, did a master's. I wanted to do a master's, so I went to a hospital... Actually, we were going to do business school and work in between. The biggest school in the district said 'Come work here.' I had to do the master's program together. He said he discussed it clearly, but he couldn't force me. So I lived abroad from age 11 to 27-28: first England, then America, Texas, New York. That period had a huge impact on my character and profile. Now, if we start from that time, I learned that nothing is easy, everything has value, and human values are more prominent. When we talk about our childhood, you mentioned that communication was not very strong. What values can we carry from then to now? What values do you think about?

First, the values I see in my own children. We are a very close family. I am one of Rahmi Koç's four children, but we were always together with our aunts and uncles for holidays, New Year's, and Kadir nights. The greatest legacy he left us is family unity and integrity, loyalty to the country, faith, and doing something for the country. Today, when I look back, I am drawn to very different places. Actually, I am a nationalist. I want the best for my country. Happiness doesn't always come. He always said 'Be careful, be frugal, be grateful, but know that nothing is permanent. Prepare yourself for difficult days.' These topics were instilled in the second and third generations. The fourth generation has a different outlook on life. Hopefully, we can at least pass on our basic principles. Unity and togetherness are already known by society. Another important value is that each family member is important. The loss of Mustafa Koç deeply saddened us all. How did it affect your life?

It was the night before his death. That day we had visited the President. Usually, we take a photo, but that day we didn't. I couldn't find one. I was going to show you that life can change in an instant. How can it change? That day, Mustafa had had surgery 28 months earlier, lost weight, and was telling the President how much healthier and energetic he felt, that he slept well, no more snoring. He talked for 15-20 minutes about health. We returned late, around 11 PM. I dropped him off at his house, just two minutes away. In the morning, around 5:17, my sister-in-law called saying Mustafa had fallen and was being taken to the hospital. There was no serious problem. But then he was gone. Mustafa had a big role in my life when I was young. Today, Beşiktaş... He was full of life and goodness. He had a huge heart and was very good with people. Even if you said something negative, he would approach you the same way. He also had a big hand in my Fenerbahçe passion. When I was little, he would take me to Fenerbahçe matches. He was the first to do our household chores. We would go to Osmanlı schools together. I thought I would also leave at some point, but I went in the opposite direction. This photo is from 1988. I was 21 years old. My father had dreams, and he realized many of them. One of his dreams was to sail around the world. Before that, he wanted to cross the ocean. He bought a second-hand sailboat, and eight of us were going to cross the ocean. He said the youngest of his three sons who loves the sea and sailing would join him. He helped with all the preparations, from shopping to customs. We had duties: video, photography, music, port life. Everyone had a page with their tasks. I went for that trip. I won't go again; it was a bit boring for me. I thought about my father a lot. At that time, there was no communication. I was at sea for 21 days, not knowing what was happening. He said 'I will stay here, you will worry.' I said 'I will be with you, don't worry.' So I went. But I loved the sea. We were supposed to start from the Caribbean and end in Gibraltar. But the second-hand boat had problems. While coming down from the Caribbean, the crew of three got caught in a storm and the boat sank. A call came from America to Istanbul. My father was taking his evening walk after dinner. He was told to come home urgently. He thought something had happened to us. He learned that the coast guard said the crew had to abandon ship because it was sinking. He was relieved it wasn't about the children. But one of the three crew members didn't follow the boat. We put the boat on a café and it somehow reached the shore before sinking, but the engine room and generators were underwater. We had to fix it. We set off from the East Coast in August. Why is this important? Because August to November is hurricane season in the eastern US. Our goal was to leave much earlier, but we couldn't. We encountered a storm. I was inside the boat, tilted, with water inside. We were tied with belts and life jackets, shouting. I thought 'What are we doing here?' Anyway, we survived. There are rituals. When you go through difficulties, you turn to faith. There is a big wall where every passing boat paints something. I was responsible for painting a Turkish flag and the boat's flag. We signed around the Maiden's Tower. We felt like we had accomplished something huge. But next to us was a 12-meter boat with a woman sailing alone, and a 13-meter couple crossing for the third time. We realized we weren't that special. It was a good experience.

Our annual family trip gives me the most pleasure. This year we couldn't do it because of my mother. But we usually go with the whole family, 14 of us, for five days to a new place. Rahmi Koç does what he says. This person you see in the middle, the tall one with glasses, is the vice chairman of the board of Formoso Camp. This legendary American... Look, you see the wood? He repeated it. Without these tools, it's very difficult. And this legendary model they talked about, the new car they launched that year, we didn't put it because of the bodywork. I had just come to Turkey. It was a story, whether it happened or not, I wasn't sure what to do. I was deciding where to work. We signed a partnership with Formoso Camp. But we became partners with EPI. What I mean is, at that time, the company was 130 people, but they had no interest in daily work. It was a company completely focused on Turkey. They exported 650-660 vehicles. In 2015, it became a company that creates value. At that time, we were going to join the European Union. In 1996, we knew we would go to the customs union. We were working on what would happen to companies in the early 90s. Would they be able to compete, achieve economies of scale, survive? We hired a consulting firm. They said, 'Neither you nor any other Turkish automotive company can survive.' At that time, there was 135% tax and a protectionist mentality. With zero customs, anyone could sell anything in Turkey. Koç Group would be out of the car business. We worked and worked, but there was no light at the end of the tunnel. They said, 'Get out of this business immediately.' But we decided to produce commercial vehicles. Which commercial vehicle? Which market? They went back and forth. Fiat and Ford were lukewarm. Fox TV brands rejected them. We convinced the Americans. We said, 'You sell 40,000 abroad, we can sell 100,000 in Turkey.' They accepted the scale. We explained how we would do it, but they didn't understand. The engineers in the company didn't believe it either. Ford said, 'Okay, let's do a joint venture.' This was a milestone not just for Koç Group or Ford Otosan, but for the entire Turkish automotive industry and economy. You'll understand when I give the numbers. It's important for me because I took over from my father as the head of YouTube. Over time, I saw what I saw. The gentleman on my right is Ali İhsan İlkbahar, a legend in the Turkish automotive sector. He was such a workaholic that when his family went on a picnic, they went to the factory garden. He worked with his family. Ali Sait insisted from day one that this company needed someone from the institution, and he insisted on me. I had no prior acquaintance. He accepted. I have been going to the factory since childhood. This factory was in Kadıköy, where today's Akasya is. One thing I didn't tell you about my childhood: there was no gasoline. There was a shortage. In the 70s, we had small engines and couldn't find gas. We would go to neighbors' cars at night and siphon gas with a hose. There were no locks on gas caps then. Later, locks came. I also went to the football field in that area a lot. Anyway, we made the agreement in 1997. We would produce a vehicle, and we knew that by 2015, it would be completely ours. They said, 'Send us a Toyota.' First 50, then 120, then 130. For two years, they lived a prototype. Look at where the Turkish automotive sector is now. We agreed on a model. We produced the model. The model year was selected. The costs we achieved were unmatched. A great collaboration began. But we needed a factory. It was impossible to do it in Hadımköy. We needed a new factory. We searched and found a place in Gölcük, an abandoned swamp. The then Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz, may God rest his soul, and President Süleyman Demirel, may God rest his soul, I want to remember them with love and respect. Especially for this project, I want to thank them. We found the land. Unfortunately, news came out that we were harming the environment, mosquitoes, etc. At that time, there was nothing there. Now it's a full industrial zone. There were attacks on the Koç name. The opposition gave a censure motion. We almost decided to give up. But someone said, 'Whatever you say, the contribution this factory will bring to our country is far greater than the damage to your family name. You must do this.' So we started building the factory. The 1999 earthquake happened. The foundation was laid in 1997. At the groundbreaking ceremony, the President said, 'If necessary, we will give the garden of Çankaya for this project.' After all that, in 1997, we had 3,400 employees. Today, we have 12,000. We produced 43 vehicles per day then; now we produce 371. We used to make 667 vehicles per year; now we make 335 per day. But the important thing is that when we started, we said we would have $500 million in exports. They laughed in our faces. Today, this company exports $6 billion. It had a turnover of 850 million lira; now it's $7 billion. More importantly, this company, which once had no engineers, now demands engineers. It has become a turning point. Hopefully, in March, under the auspices of our President, we will announce a brand new project. It will be one of the biggest investments in the sector: 21 billion TL over 4-5 years. It will be Turkey's first and only integrated electric vehicle production facility. It will be wonderful. To do this, we are also building a battery assembly line. This is the first in Turkey. Electric vehicle batteries are very heavy; they need to be produced locally. This technology will come to Turkey. I want to thank the President because our country provides very important incentives to encourage industrial investment.

There is a lot behind this. The ball in his hand called me. Emin Bey is one of the biggest factors in the development and strengthening of my Fenerbahçe spirit. He gave importance to me and my brother. The ball in front of him is from 1972, when Pelé's Santos came to Turkey and played against Fenerbahçe. Our coach at the time was the legendary Didi, a Brazilian. He signed the ball and called me to his office to give it to me. He would invite me to matches. There were Fenerbahçe lottery concerts. When the lottery was full, we would go to the draws. I want to remember him with love and respect. He was a good person, very beneficial to Fenerbahçe, a strong and successful president. During my election campaign, I had a meeting with the congress at the big club. It was a cold, rainy day. I was on stage for a long time. I took a break. As I was turning, a man came to me, introduced himself as Okşan, and gave me an envelope. He said, 'Read this carefully.' I opened it and inside was a very old, faded, crumpled newspaper clipping. I said 'Okay,' and he left. He said, 'Please read it in front of all those people.' I read it. It was a very small article. He said, 'There is a section about you, read it.' It was from Hürriyet newspaper, January 11, 1978. I had no idea. It was an interview about my visit that day. The reporter said, 'Rahmi Koç's son Ali has two sons. Both are Fenerbahçe fans, just like in my childhood. The little one will come soon. I promised to give him this ball.' There is no photo of that event. He said, 'I will give this ball. Fenerbahçe will not have a president problem in the future.' I was 11 in 1978. When I read it, it all came back to me like yesterday. I was a little kid, going to visit the great Fenerbahçe president. He was a very impressive man. I couldn't see him much. I thank Mr. Okşan again. I spoke with him recently; he had health problems. I wish him a speedy recovery. He kept this for years, waiting to give it to me. He wanted me to become a candidate. He believed I would be a candidate. He waited until I became a candidate, then came and gave me the clipping. The next day, we went to the office and found the photo. Now, that newspaper clipping and the photo are framed side by side. It has much greater meaning. Maybe fate brought us here. It shows that even then, he was giving signs of a great responsibility. It's not wrong to say that I have taken on a great responsibility. We know you think about your family, your work, and your commitment. Balancing all of these will be challenging. Why did you make such a choice when it was clear from the beginning? Was it an emotional decision?

In 2006, Fenerbahçe, under President Aziz Yıldırım and coach Christoph Daum, had a great season and were very close to the championship. But then the federation president Haluk Ulusoy designed the league in a way that... It happened in Denizli. That day, I was at the hospital because my daughter Leyla was born. As someone who loves children, it was a very mixed feeling. The championship was lost not because of us, but because of what was done to us. That day, I decided that this could not end like this. Strange things happened; it was all designed. How was it allowed? In 2006, not 1976, it was very painful. After the match, I went to the hospital. My daughter was born. I am a person who loves children, but it was a very big event with mixed emotions. I wasn't just upset about losing the championship; it was about what was done to us. Later, at a wedding of a good manager at Çırağan, President Aziz asked me, 'Will you come to the management?' Without thinking, I said yes. My family didn't know. My father, brothers, and wife were surprised. I said yes without telling anyone. As I always say, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. The congress was near. My brother Mustafa asked if it was true. I said it was a mistake. That Sunday morning, we woke up and found ourselves in the congress. It was June 2006. I thought I wouldn't see my daughter grow up. She was just born. We entered the management. Later, in 2012, I left. Between 2012 and 2015, we had ups and downs. The material and moral damage from July 13 continued. On top of that, management mistakes brought us to a certain point. I always stood by the well. Even when I wasn't a manager, I supported as much as I could. There are things I won't express here now. But when the time comes, I will tell in detail. For some reasons that Aziz and I experienced, I decided to run for president. On June 3, 2018, I won the election. I had always dreamed of this since childhood. It wasn't a planned thing; one event led to another, and we came to today. This photo is from the championship match on May 12, 2012. The match ended 0-0. The atmosphere was chaotic. Let me go back a bit. On July 13, Fenerbahçe was attacked by the FETÖ organization, which we now call that vile organization. We went through a period of conspiracy. Our president, managers, some club personnel, and close names were unjustly accused. In 2016, they tried to cut our path, but they failed. At that time, the organization had infiltrated the police, judiciary, and state. We were left alone. As they say, a falling man has no friends. We experienced that. Only the football players tried to fight. But we, as the community, were fighting in the streets, in Metris, Silivri, Çağlayan, and Anıtkabir. We had named them from that day on. Now they say the milestone is July 15, but we experienced it earlier. Our great squad started to leave one by one: Mahmut, Lugano, Andre Santos, Emenike, Daniel, Guiza, and many Turks. We struggled to build a new squad. We barely brought in two players on the last day. These people, under these conditions, with this spirit, were constantly being attacked with leaked tapes in the media. Today, those who go on TV and forget that day, who were cheerleaders, now act as if they were against it. Fenerbahçe will settle accounts. There is no ifs or buts. Sooner or later, the Fenerbahçe community will settle accounts, whether it's me or someone else, or President Aziz. Anyway, we managed that season. The players brought us to the last match with a chance for the championship. But we played that match on May 12 against Galatasaray. It was perhaps one of the most controversial matches in Turkish history. The goalkeeper made 19 or 22 saves. It was a strange match. When it ended 0-0, we lost the championship. Up to that point, everything was normal. The teams were gathering, the center was taken, and then what happened? That match was a FETÖ cup. The events started before the match. There was a smell of gas around. I went to the coach; his hair was wet. We had a manager who used to open his chest as a totem. I asked him to do the totem. He said, 'No, the gas is downstairs, the match hasn't started.' After the match, the police immediately surrounded Galatasaray to provoke Fenerbahçe fans. They started chasing the away team. The fans were told to go, but they were blocked. Tear gas was fired. I went down to calm things down. A policeman fired gas next to me. It was chaos. They said the spectators were the problem. I don't remember this photo. I don't know what fell next to me. There was a sign. Our mood that year was as you can imagine. The rival team Galatasaray, as they say, caused irreparable damage between two important communities. We tried to calm things down. Then the police withdrew to the tunnel towards the locker room. More spectators came down. People were lying on the ground, trying to get up. It was one of the most painful days, not because we lost the championship, but because of what was done to us. This frame is from that match. That pain... What changed? From that day to this, I say: FETÖ is still inside Turkish football. You will see, soon many new things will come out. I called on the state to clean this organization from football. Because it created social division, it turned brother against brother. Yes, there is always competition between us, Beşiktaş, Trabzon, but they took it to a point of hatred. Football in Turkey became the most divisive thing. It was never very unifying, but after that date, it went downhill. I repeat as a club president: hopefully soon, this mentality will be proven. There are those who took an active role, and there are opportunists who go with the wind. The ones that bother me most are those who go with the wind. Those who today are the biggest opponents were the biggest cheerleaders then. These people are not 'yesterday is yesterday, today is today.' All of them are in Fenerbahçe's memory: May 12, July 3, then April 14 when our bus was shot. God forbid, if that bullet had hit, it could have been one of the saddest events in world sports history. Yes, there have been plane crashes in the past, but today the Republic of Turkey has not named this event. Four people were killed. We need to shed light on both April 4 and May 12. How was this match designed? How were the spectators incited before the match even started? It was as if the end of the film was designed in advance. The election period is approaching. The question is on everyone's mind: Will Ali Koç run again? You said earlier that you need at least two terms. On top of that, we have experienced so much. We have faced unexpected difficulties and also unexpected successes. We made great sacrifices. In 2006, we didn't ask anyone. In 2018, we didn't ask, but we told beforehand. Now, this time, the family started to get more involved. There is still a long way to go. The mentality and principles I carry... What did he say? I don't know. Constructive competition, record, coffee, outside of that, common interests, common problems, act together. It shows me that Turkey is still far from this. It will take time for Turkey to reach these points. Yes, this is a serious job that requires material and moral sacrifice. And if you don't get what you want, there are question marks. It's a job you set your mind to. This rotten, decayed structure will take time to change. So, whether we will be there or not, time will tell. To summarize, I don't know if I will be a candidate in this election period. But I repeat: please, let anyone who wants to run for Fenerbahçe come forward. Whether it's me or not, the more candidates, the better. On this subject, I promise again: I will not make anyone experience what I experienced during the election period. I will provide all the opportunities I have to the candidates, whether on TV, radio, or facilities. When we ran, we didn't have such opportunities; we were excluded. But as I said, if there are multiple candidates, Fenerbahçe wins. I hope it's not just Fenerbahçe; your vision will reflect on all of football. The most important thing is what you said: justice, conscience, honesty. Hopefully, these will govern. Because God is in every field. Thank you very much. I want to make a final call to our fans. Fenerbahçe is an interesting community. After July 3, they have the right to be everywhere because they embraced the club so much. Without them, I wouldn't be talking about other things today. But as I said after the Trabzon match, in two days, you can go from hero to zero. Coaches, players, especially me, they have protected me more. But you need to know that our fans' section is not just football. There is much more beyond football. Those who follow football closely know these things. But we are already dealing with these external factors. Social media is so addictive. Many people are hooked. Our employees were hooked. The coach was being criticized. After the Trabzon match, I need to find a middle ground. I ask our fans: while we are fighting these external factors, I had to fight against you. By 'you,' I don't mean the sincere fans. I have infinite respect for any sincere criticism or comment as long as it is not insulting. I benefit from it. I don't agree with those who get depressed after a match result. Don't go into championship mode after one good match or wear black after one bad match. I ask you to support us. You will go with us. Unite with me. The players are affected; they are young people. Unfortunately, they spend too much time on social media. Don't fall for social media's hype. There are trolls, both within our community and outside. They know you are easily affected and know how to provoke you. There are also malicious people within our own community whose agendas are completely outside Fenerbahçe. Please don't fall for them. I ask for your support for all our sports teams, starting with the football team. Hopefully, the end of the road will be good. We have listened to your important life moments through photo frames. We want to immortalize it with one last photo frame. Do you have permission?