Vice President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Member of the Executive Board, and responsible for National Teams, FIFA, and UEFA Relations, Ceyhun Kazanci, made statements regarding the upcoming Iceland match and various projects. He emphasized that the Turkish National Team is the favorite in the UEFA Nations League match against Iceland and believes that they will end their winless streak away from home.
Kazanci responded to questions from the Anadolu Agency (AA) at the team’s training camp hotel and highlighted the significance of the Iceland game. He stated, “We have played seven away matches against Iceland without securing a win. We want to be the first to achieve this victory. Iceland’s team quality is not on par with ours. Although the weather, long journey, and the short interval between matches seem like disadvantages, we have full confidence in our team. Our player quality is very high. In fact, many Icelandic fans at the hotel entrance are trying to get autographs from our players, which says a lot. We are highly motivated and aim to secure three points and take a significant step toward leadership in the Nations League.”
“WE ARE THE FAVORITES”
When asked if Montella’s leadership could add the first victory against Iceland to the team’s achievements, Kazanci replied, “Definitely, yes. We expect that. We are undoubtedly the favorites. Although there is a negative statistic from the past, sometimes such records can provide extra motivation. Recently, this national team has achieved many firsts. Why not another one? Winning against Iceland away may not be a huge accomplishment, but it’s now expected from us. The players are more than capable of this, and we believe in victory, as long as the weather and field conditions don’t affect us too much. Elsewhere, Wales will face Montenegro at home. If they win and we also win, we’ll play a final against Wales in Kayseri. We hope to win and wait for the other match’s result.”
Kazanci also evaluated the national team’s group in the UEFA Nations League, saying, “There are two teams in this group that traditionally don’t match well with Turkish football. Historically, our national teams have struggled against physically strong teams, especially in away matches. We faced challenges against Wales, it wasn’t an easy game. We earned an important point there. It was the first match, so its significance wasn’t fully understood, but it was a critical point for leadership. Other than that, it’s a balanced group. Montenegro lost three games, but in their other two matches, they conceded goals from set-pieces against Iceland and quickly fell behind 2-0 against Wales. They dominated the rest of the match, almost playing one-sided. Statistically, they were superior and missed many chances. League B isn’t an easy group, but it’s clear that Turkey is the best team by far. Hopefully, we’ll advance to Group A, as we deserve.”
Kazanci also underlined the importance of the UEFA Nations League for qualifying for the World Cup, stating, “The Nations League has a different kind of importance. We aim to directly qualify for the World Cup by finishing first in the qualifiers. However, if we finish second, we’ll secure a playoff spot. If we don’t make it to the top two, which we don’t even want to consider, God forbid, we plan to finish as the group leader in the Nations League and secure a playoff ticket. So, it’s important. Some may see it as a friendly match, but it’s a bit more important than that. I can’t imagine not being in the top two in the World Cup qualifying group, but football is unpredictable. It’s always better to have a backup ticket, so finishing as the group leader here will be great.”
“OUR FOCUS IS ON THE 2026 WORLD CUP”
Kazanci emphasized the unity within the national team, saying, “We have a national team with a high level of togetherness. There are no egos, everyone is very close to each other. You can see this during matches, with players doing more than expected when they come on the field. No one complains about being a substitute.” He added, “Our players celebrate and grieve together. A beautiful atmosphere has been created here, and I want to thank everyone who contributed. This is a relay race, and we are doing our best to take it further. Our players believe we will finish as group leaders, but our sole focus is on the 2026 World Cup. We have missed five tournaments, which is unacceptable for a team like Turkey. Especially with such a talented generation, we have to achieve this. Hopefully, everything will go well, and we will represent our country successfully in 2026. Those old enough to remember the excitement of 2002 know what a wonderful feeling it was. First, we need to get there, and then I believe this team will perform exceptionally well.”
Kazanci also discussed the importance of qualifying for the World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, with 48 teams for the first time. He noted, “The tournament will be held in three different countries, and for the first time, the number of teams has increased to 48. This expansion didn’t affect Europe much, as the quota only increased from 12 to 16 teams. If we get there, we will likely face more manageable opponents in the group stage than in the European Championship’s difficult matches. This team is capable of competing with anyone, and they proved that in the European Championship. But let’s take it step by step. First, we need to qualify, and then I believe this national team can do something special at the World Cup. Just thinking about the World Cup excites us.”
“WHY SHOULD PEOPLE OF OUR BLOOD PLAY FOR OTHER TEAMS?”
Kazanci highlighted the detailed efforts to bring new players to the national team, saying, “Every Turk has a place in this national team. This is the place for the best, and we are doing everything we can to bring the best here and expand the pool. The key is that they truly want to be here. However, there are players born and raised abroad, including some who cannot speak Turkish. The important thing is to explain the importance of the national team and the star-and-crescent jersey to them and bring the best players to Turkey. Why should people of our blood play for other national teams? We are working systematically to gather the best here. We already have some players we are trying to bring into the senior national team, but more importantly, we are expanding the pool in the youth categories. Our biggest goal is to introduce our youngsters to the star-and-crescent jersey at an early age. We are working on this in great detail. Once the national team matches conclude in November, we will share the results of our efforts, including both domestic and international efforts, in more detail.”
“DENIZ IS A PLAYER THAT OUR TECHNICAL STAFF ALSO LIKES”
Kazanci was asked about the status of Deniz Gul, who plays for Porto and is being considered for the national team, and he replied, “We are in talks with him. He is a valuable, promising player. He plays in a position that is often discussed, the number 9. He is a player that our technical staff has examined and appreciates. We want him to wear the national jersey. Currently, he plays for the Sweden U21 team. He is also interested in this, and hopefully, these matters will not change at the last minute. Of course, we have some work to do, including paperwork. After that, we hope he will join our national team as soon as possible. Not only Deniz, but there are other players as well. We aim to increase competition in every position. It is our greatest desire to maintain the atmosphere here and expand the pool of the best players to strengthen our team. We want the coach to have more flexibility in that regard.”
“MONTELLA’S PERFORMANCE IS EXCELLENT”
When asked about the general performance of the national team under Vincenzo Montella, Kazanci stated, “It is consistently improving. Especially the recent successes, the European Championship was a very positive tournament. Could it have been better? It could have, but conditions do not always develop as you expect. I was at the stadium for the Holland match; I was very confident we would win. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen; sometimes these things occur. There were matches we could have lost before that as well. However, one clear thing that reflects on the field is that we now have a national team that excites and unites us all. It is a team made up of very young players. In the upcoming tournaments, this skeleton squad will continue. I believe we will improve and reach much better places. So far, Montella’s performance has been excellent. Our only goal right now is to qualify for the World Cup.”
Kazanci also addressed the question of how the management’s relationship with Montella is, especially with various rumors surfacing. He responded, “There are always rumors. We work very closely with Montella. Our management board has clear divisions of responsibilities. Our president and I meet with him frequently. Everyone is very pleased with his performance. Our job is to make his working environment more comfortable. We are doing everything we can. I can say we are quite harmonious.”
IMPORTANT PROJECT FROM TFF
Kazanci noted that they have been engaged in intense work during their three-month tenure at TFF, stating, “When we took office, there was a short time before the league started. We tried to address all issues quickly, and we are still continuing at a high pace. I can say that we have initiated some projects related to national teams on my side. We will provide details on these in the coming days. In this digital age, we aim to conduct national team selections in a more sterile environment, not just for the A National Team but for the lower categories as well. We are in intensive work to identify and discover every talent in our country. We are working on a project to record all matches and analyze and upload their data to our system. We will implement this very soon. From the age of 14 onwards, we will be able to collect and analyze data, statistics, and observations for every player in all matches in these leagues, making it easier for us to monitor results-oriented tracking. We have started many projects like this, and I hope we will reap the benefits soon. Things are not going badly from our perspective.”
“TEAMS DRAWING TURKEY IN EVERY AGE CATEGORY SHOULD BE AFRAID”
Kazanci emphasized that all age categories are a stepping stone to the A National Team, saying, “We believe our players there need to take this very seriously. Since we took office, our president has also shown great interest in all categories. Before the last Letonia match, our president met with the U21 National Team. We always tell them this is a stepping stone; wearing the crescent-star jersey, regardless of the category, is very important. It is a great honor to wear it. Succeeding there and being a part of the A National Team in the future should be their goal. Recently, I have been saddened that U21 matches are taking place, and many citizens are not even aware of them. We lost that excitement. They will now be in the spotlight, and I believe we will achieve great success in all categories. All attention should be on them. Gokhan Hoca has taken over the U21 team. Although we may not be competitive in the group, we achieved a good victory against Letonia. Since we lost to Letonia in the first match away, now we have a crucial match against Norway. I hope they will represent us in the best way possible. From now on, the goals in every age category are very high.”
Reminiscing about past successes in youth categories, the TFF Vice President said, “In the past, a national team that was more successful in the youth categories tended to face some challenges at the A National Team level. Currently, our A National Team is at a better level; we are getting good results in some of our lower categories, but we have not been able to generalize this. When we say Turkish National Team, we need to recognize that a very strong national team has emerged from the age of 14-15-16 and that this will reflect in the A National Team. Now, when Turkey is mentioned, teams drawing Turkey in every age category should be wary. We must create this, and we will do it.”
