The president of Galatasaray, Dursun Özbek, has dismissed reports claiming the club owes salaries to its players, including Nigerian international Victor Osimhen.
Speculation had emerged in sections of the Turkish media suggesting that the Istanbul giants were behind on salary payments to members of the squad.
However, Özbek strongly refuted the claims in comments reported by Habersarikirmizi, insisting that the Turkish champions remain financially responsible and fully up to date with all contractual obligations to their players.
“If you make things up, you’ll create crises like this,” Özbek said.
“Galatasaray is an elite team made up of world-class footballers. You can’t make these players play with just words.
“If players don’t receive their salaries for two or three months, they won’t play. These kinds of reports are an insult to the professionalism of our players.
“There are bonus and incentive clauses, and we pay them all on time.
“Galatasaray has not defaulted on a single lira — not a single lira overdue.”
The statement comes amid growing scrutiny around financial management across several clubs in the Turkish Süper Lig.
Osimhen, one of Nigeria’s most prominent players in European football, has been linked with the Istanbul side in recent discussions, although the club president insists that all financial commitments to players are being fully met.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
