Turkish Basketball Federation President Addresses TRT Broadcasting Dispute Amidst National Team Success
ISTANBUL – Amidst a dominant performance in the FIBA 2025 European Championship qualifying rounds, Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) President Hido Türkoğlu has addressed a brewing controversy surrounding the broadcasting of national team games by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). Türkoğlu also lauded the team’s progress and individual player performances following a decisive 95-54 victory over Portugal.
The dispute stems from comments made by National Team coach Ergin Ataman after the Portugal game, expressing his dissatisfaction with the shift of broadcasting from TRT Spor to TRT Sports Star. Ataman stated, “This match will be cozy in this way that you probably feel that you threw the match from TRT Spor to TRT Sports Stars. But this team is going to the finals. I hope we do not leave TRT Spor,TRT 1. Turkish Basketball National Team is one of the moast important teams in Türkiye.”
Responding to questions about the situation,Türkoğlu stated,”I do not want to talk about the publisher organization. We have never expressed that we want a privilege. Already athletes spoken, respected players in every medium.In this sense, I am a person who believes that people should not be in those institutions. I represent 85 million in this form, other uniforms represent 85 million.People who were at the beginning made such mistakes.”
Türkoğlu emphasized the team’s focus and upward trajectory throughout the tournament, noting the difficulty of the opening match against Latvia. “The first matches have always been challenging for us. The first match we played with Latvia was one of the most critically important matches for us. But thank goodness that the team has been concentrating on the tournament in an amazing way and they are really proud of Türkiye.” He added that the team’s performance has steadily improved, citing the matches against Latvia and Serbia as evidence.
He also highlighted the triumphant integration of experienced players with younger talent, and specifically praised Alperen Şengün’s performance, noting his strong NBA season and planning for the tournament. “Alperen performs an incredible performance. This successful season, which he spent in the NBA, has shown that he is a different athlete here in a grate sense to prepare himself well for the summer and to come here as a head.I hope it will continue.”
Türkoğlu affirmed his trust in Coach Ataman’s leadership,stating,”Everyone has different characters,and our teacher has proven him as a coach. We leave all the authority to our teacher in the sporty sense. We think that he is in the most responsible way.” He also confirmed a positive relationship with FIBA and planned discussions regarding match broadcasting schedules.
The TBF President concluded by expressing his pride in the team’s progress and their determination to continue their winning streak. “We are very happy, we are proud. I hope this will continue. These friends create a new story. We are just a part of the story they started in the sense of the administrator.”
