Veli Deveciler Urges Denizli Business World to Support Basket Team

Yukatel Denizli Basket President Veli Deveciler called out local business leaders and civil institutions for lacking financial support, stating that competitors secure millions while his club struggles to cover basic travel expenses.

The leadership of Yukatel Denizli Basket expressed public frustration over regional funding disparities within Turkish basketball, pointing directly to a massive corporate sponsorship recently secured by an Aegean rival.

The Financial Contrast in Aegean Basketball

The debate centers on a 50 million TL financial support package that İzmir-based real estate developer Folkart provided to Karşıyaka Basketbol. Folkart Chairman Mesut Sancak explained the contribution by stating that the company wanted to share what it earned in İzmir with the city, viewing the support for Karşıyaka as a local responsibility.

Yukatel Denizli Basket President Veli Deveciler contrasted that corporate partnership with the financial climate in Denizli. Deveciler argued that regional companies and institutions in Denizli have not extended similar cooperation to his squad, which represents the city in top-tier domestic and international competitions.

Club Leadership Demands Local Solidarity

Deveciler detailed the club’s appeals to the local business community, noting that efforts to sell season tickets or secure benefactors for individual away-game travel expenses have met with silence. He emphasized that the financial burden of running a professional basketball franchise cannot rest solely on the team’s current executive administration.

“We say, buy a season ticket, there is no sound. We say, let a philanthropist cover an away-game expense, there is no sound. Our rivals get 50 million TL in support with a single call,” Deveciler said.

The club president concluded his remarks with a pointed assessment of the differing levels of civic engagement between the two neighboring regions, emphasizing the phrase: “There is a homeland, and there is a homeland…”