TFF Crisis Deepens as Hacıosmanoğlu Faces Early-Election Pressure and Montella’s Exit Looms
The Turkish Football Federation has called an emergency executive board meeting at its headquarters in Riva, placing President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu at the center of a growing dispute over the federation’s leadership and the future of Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella.
The meeting began at 14:30 local time on Friday. Hacıosmanoğlu arrived after returning from Europe, where he had held consultations with UEFA representatives. The urgent gathering comes amid mounting pressure from within the TFF, with board members divided over whether the current administration should continue or make way for an early election.
The leadership crisis has intensified following a series of departures from the federation. Six members of the 27-person board elected in July 2024 have resigned, among them former secretary general Abdullah Ayaz. The exits have sharpened questions about the board’s unity and its ability to maintain stability while dealing with other major decisions.
Board members Mustafa Temel Bozbağ and Kazım Şengöçgel are leading a group that supports collective resignation. Their proposal would be intended to trigger an extraordinary general assembly within 30 days, giving the federation’s delegates an opportunity to decide on its leadership.
Hacıosmanoğlu, however, is said to be determined to remain in office and reject calls for an early vote. That position sets up a direct confrontation at Riva: the president must respond to demands from colleagues who want a change in the federation’s direction while attempting to preserve his authority.
Montella’s future is another central item on the meeting agenda. Turkey’s national team has suffered four successive defeats in UEFA Nations League Group A1, with the run ending in a 3-1 loss to Italy. In the wake of those results, the likelihood of the Italian coach leaving his post has been put at 90 percent.
If Hacıosmanoğlu chooses to stay on, Montella’s contract could be terminated immediately. The federation would then need to decide how to manage the national team’s next steps, including who should take charge and how quickly a replacement could be appointed. No successor has been identified in the information available about the meeting.
The board is also expected to consider appointing a new chairman for the Central Referee Committee, known as the MHK. That role would be part of a wider effort to steady federation operations as the organization faces pressure over both its leadership and recent results on the pitch.
Decisions that could reshape the federation
The outcome of the Riva meeting could determine whether the TFF confronts its problems through an election process or tries to maintain continuity under Hacıosmanoğlu. A collective resignation would not, by itself, settle who should lead the federation; it would instead set in motion the process for an extraordinary general assembly within the proposed 30-day period.
An early election could give the federation a chance to seek a fresh mandate, but it would also bring a period of uncertainty while administrative responsibilities continue. If the board remains in place, Hacıosmanoğlu would still need to address the internal divisions reflected in the resignations and the demands for a change of leadership.
The decision on Montella carries a separate sporting risk. Ending the coach’s contract would respond to the four-match losing streak, but it would also leave Turkey needing to make a prompt appointment and establish a clear plan for the national team. Keeping him, by contrast, would mean giving the current project more time despite the disappointing results.
The federation’s leadership and coaching questions are closely linked because both decisions will shape perceptions of the TFF’s direction. A simultaneous change in the presidency and the national-team manager could create a wider reset, while retaining Hacıosmanoğlu and dismissing Montella would signal a more limited response focused on the team’s performance.
For now, the central issues remain unresolved: whether the board will unite behind the president, whether enough members will pursue collective resignation, and whether Montella will continue as Turkey’s manager. The emergency meeting at Riva is therefore not simply a discussion about one coach or one election date; it is a test of how the TFF intends to manage a period of mounting internal and sporting pressure.