Coach Mancini: I didn’t choose Galatasaray for money

ISTANBUL

After suffering the first defeat of the season, Galatasaray remained on seven points, adrift of the leaders in 13th place. Mancini says they were unlucky.

New Galatasaray coach Roberto Mancini has outlined his reasons for joining the Turkish side and has made it clear that money was not the main factor deciding his move to the country.

The former Inter and Manchester Citycoach was hired to replace Faith Terim last Sept. 30 and was handed the reins of his new side in a Champions League fixture with Juventus on Oct. 2, which ended in a 2-2 draw. “[Of course], people in Italy always assume that I went to Istanbul because of the money,” he remarked to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“But while yes, contracts and money is a part of my profession, the real reason I chose to come to Turkey is because [I feel] that Galatasaray are a well-renowned club who have an extensive history.

“I’m also pleased to be living in Turkey because it’s a country with a fast-growing economy as well as a rich history, and is a bridge between Europe and Asia.”

Mancini also touched on the results of his first game in charge, admitting that they were perhaps “a bit lucky” to earn a point at the Bianconeri’s home stadium.

“[Yes], we were somewhat lucky, but the players made themselves available to me right away. We have a lot of fantastic players, some great champions here who can play some good football.

“Especially after giving up six [goals] against Real Madrid, we really had to modify things and so we paid more attention in defense.”