Organized by FootEx, Powered by Comparisonator and Supported by The Book of Scouting, Football Conference Istanbul will take place on 26–27 September 2026 at Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom, bringing together leading professionals from across international football.
Under the theme BEYOND 90 MINUTES, the conference will explore the decisions, structures and responsibilities that shape football beyond what happens on the pitch.
Supporters see the matches, transfers and results. But behind every football club is a much wider set of decisions involving sporting ambition, finance, leadership, people and long-term planning.
What does running a football club really look like from the president’s office?
Inside the President’s Office: The Unseen Side of Running a Football Club
27 September | 14:00–14:45 | Session 8
A club president is responsible for much more than approving transfers or reacting to results.
Every season brings decisions around budgets, sporting strategy, recruitment, staff, infrastructure, institutional development and relationships with supporters and stakeholders. At the same time, those decisions must often be made under intense public pressure and with limited time.
How do club leaders balance sporting ambition with financial sustainability? How do they respond when short-term results conflict with long-term plans? And what does it take to guide a football organisation through difficult periods while continuing to build for the future?
This session brings together two club presidents with experience across different football environments to discuss the responsibilities that are rarely visible from outside the boardroom.
Ahmet Dal — President, Erzurumspor FK
Ahmet Dal is President of Erzurumspor FK and an experienced sports executive with a background across football management, sports development and major sporting organisations.
His career has included senior responsibilities within İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Sports Inc. and serving as the founding General Manager of Erzurum Spor A.Ş. Since becoming President of Erzurumspor FK in 2022, Dal has led the club through a challenging period of sporting and institutional development, culminating in promotion to the Süper Lig in 2026.
His experience brings a perspective on leading a club through transformation, managing institutional challenges and building toward long-term sporting progress.
Işıtan Gün — Chairman, Panachaiki FC
Işıtan Gün is an experienced football executive, investor and club chairman with extensive involvement in European professional football.
He previously served as Chairman of Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands and is currently Chairman of Panachaiki FC. His experience provides an ownership and executive perspective on recruitment, sporting strategy, financial sustainability and long-term football management.
Gün is also a contributor to The Book of Scouting – Volume One, bringing his perspective on the importance of data, context and strategic thinking in football decision-making.
Moderated by Furkan Yagiz
The session will be moderated by Furkan Yagiz — COO of Comparisonator.
The conversation will bring together different perspectives on what it means to lead a football club away from the spotlight, from sporting and financial decisions to institutional development and long-term strategy.
Because running a football club is not only about what happens during 90 minutes.
It is also about the decisions made before and after the match, the structures built behind the scenes and the responsibility of guiding an organisation through both success and difficult periods.
That conversation continues Inside the President’s Office.
Football Conference Istanbul by FootEx
26–27 September 2026
Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom
BEYOND 90 MINUTES
