Football Conference Istanbul 2026

26–27 September 2026

Fairmont Quasar Istanbul | Luna Ballroom

Scouting | Recruitment | Leadership | AI & Data

Beyond 90 Minutes

Keynote Speakers

Riccardo Polacco
Chief Scout, Olympique de Marseille

Besim Ali
Head of Recruitment Analysis, Liverpool FC

Fernando Matos
Chief Scout, FC Famalicão

Les Reed
Former 1st Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Development & Technical Assistance Committee

Dr. Ural Akuzum
TFF Board Member, Member of UEFA Youth & Amateur Football Committee

Barry Simmonds
Former Sports Director of Crystal Palace & Fulham

Ceyhun Kazanci
Sports Director, Kasimpasa

Matteo Fabris
Team Manager, Juventus

Tarkan Batgun
CEO, Comparisonator | Author, The Book of Scouting

Nicola Innocentin
Project Leader, Mahd Sports Academy “Elite Programme”

Didem Dilmen
Communications Director, Comparisonator

Isitan Gun
Chairman, Panachaiki FC

Furkan Yagiz
COO, Comparisonator

Dehan Ogetbil
Chief Scout, Beerschot

David Balda
Sports Director, FC Hradec Králové

Ahmet Dal
President, Erzurumspor FK

Programme Overview

Day 1 — Saturday | 26 September

09:00–10:00 Registration & Networking

10:00–10:30 Opening Ceremony

10:30–11:15 Inside the Recruitment Room: How Elite Clubs Really Identify Players

11:15–11:30 Networking Break

11:30–12:15 Building the Sporting Project: From Recruitment Strategy to the First Team

12:15–12:30 Networking Break

12:30–12:45 The Book of Scouting

12:45–14:15 Lunch & Networking

14:15–15:00 Beyond the Transfer: Building Players, Careers and Long-Term Value

15:00–15:15 Networking Break

15:15–16:00 Who Really Makes the Transfer Decision?

19:30–22:30 Cocktail & Networking Evening

Day 2 — Sunday | 27 September

10:30–11:00 Welcome Coffee & Networking

11:00–11:45 From Intuition to Intelligence: AI, Data and the Future of Scouting

11:45–12:00 Networking Break

12:00–12:45 Building Football Organisations: Survive Beyond Individuals

12:45–13:00 Networking Break

13:00–13:45 The Next Transfer Market: Where Will Clubs Find Value?

14:00–14:45 Inside the President’s Office: The Unseen Side of Running a Football Club

14:45–15:00 Closing Ceremony

Sessions

Inside the Recruitment Room: How Elite Clubs Really Identify Players

Day 1 | 10:30–11:15 | Session 1

Fernando Matos
Chief Scout, FC Famalicão

Riccardo Polacco
Chief Scout, Olympique de Marseille

Besim Ali
Head of Recruitment Analysis, Liverpool FC

MODERATOR

Tarkan Batgun
CEO, Comparisonator | Author, The Book of Scouting

Building the Sporting Project: From Recruitment Strategy to the First Team

Day 1 | 11:30–12:15 | Session 2

David Balda
Sports Director, FC Hradec Králové

Dehan Ogetbil
Chief Scout, Beerschot

MODERATOR

Nicola Innocentin
Project Leader, Mahd Sports Academy “Elite Programme”

Barry Simmonds
Former Sports Director of Crystal Palace & Fulham

The Book of Scouting — Volume One

12:30–12:45 | Special Presentation

SPEAKER

Tarkan Batgun
CEO, Comparisonator | Author, The Book of Scouting

Beyond the Transfer: Building Players, Careers and Long-Term Value

Day 1 | 14:15–15:00 | Session 3

Ceyhun Kazanci
Sports Director, Kasimpasa

Matteo Fabris
Team Manager, Juventus

Nicola Innocentin
Project Leader, Mahd Sports Academy “Elite Programme”

MODERATOR

Isıtan Gun
Chairman, Panachaiki FC

Who Really Makes the Transfer Decision?

Day 1 | 15:15–16:00 | Session 4

MODERATOR

Didem Dilmen
Communications Director, Comparisonator

Les Reed
Former 1st Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Development & Technical Assistance Committee

Isıtan Gun
Chairman, Panachaiki FC

From Intuition to Intelligence: AI, Data and the Future of Scouting

Day 2 | 11:00–11:45 | Session 5

Tarkan Batgun
CEO, Comparisonator | Author, The Book of Scouting

Besim Ali
Head of Recruitment Analysis, Liverpool FC

Fernando Matos
Chief Scout, FC Famalicão

MODERATOR

Furkan Yagiz
COO, Comparisonator

Building the Future of Football: Leadership, Governance & Sustainable Structures

Day 2 | 12:00–12:45 | Session 6

MODERATOR

Didem Dilmen
Communications Director, Comparisonator

Les Reed
Former 1st Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Development & Technical Assistance Committee

Dr. Ural Akuzum
TFF Board Member, Member of UEFA Youth & Amateur Football Committee

The Next Transfer Market: Where Will Clubs Find Value?

Day 2 | 13:00–13:45 | Session 7

Tarkan Batgun
CEO, Comparisonator | Author, The Book of Scouting

MODERATOR

Riccardo Polacco
Chief Scout, Olympique de Marseille

Barry Simmonds
Former Sports Director of Crystal Palace & Fulham

Matteo Fabris
Team Manager, Juventus

Inside the President’s Office: The Unseen Side of Running a Football Club

Day 2 | 14:00–14:45 | Session 8

MODERATOR

Furkan Yagiz
COO, Comparisonator

Isıtan Gun
Chairman, Panachaiki FC

Ahmet Dal
President, Erzurumspor FK

Partners & Sponsors

Event By FootEx

FootEx is a modern, forward-thinking development platform that brings together experts in reporting and digital media, scouting and analysis, football agency and club management, offering a program model unique in Türkiye.

Footex goal is to give young talents who want to step into the industry a foundation of global standards; delivering not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills blended with real on-pitch experience, IN PERSON.

Those who complete the FootEx program start their career journey with a great vision. Footex structure covers every professional dimension of football, FootEx offers professional development opportunities in many fields, from sports media to analysis, from scouting to content production.

Event Partner – Comparisonator

Football Intelligence & Technology Partner

Comparisonator is an AI-powered football intelligence platform supporting professional clubs, federations and agencies in scouting, recruitment, player evaluation and performance analysis.

By combining football data, artificial intelligence and practical football knowledge, Comparisonator helps decision-makers evaluate players, understand performance and make more informed recruitment decisions.

As an Event Partner of Football Conference Istanbul by FootEx, Comparisonator brings technology, data and AI to the conference, connecting modern data-driven approaches with the experience and judgement of professionals working inside the game.

All event participants will receive two weeks of complimentary access to the Comparisonator platform.

Event Partner – The Book of Scouting

Football Education & Industry Networking Partner

Written by Tarkan Batgun, The Book of Scouting – Volume One: From Intuition to Evidence brings together the knowledge, experience and perspectives of leading professionals from across international football.

The book explores modern player evaluation through live scouting, video analysis, data intelligence and tactical fit, while examining how human judgement can work together with evidence and technology.

The Book of Scouting is designed not only as a comprehensive resource for football professionals, but also as a long-term educational and reference resource for those looking to develop their knowledge of scouting and recruitment.

Its content provides a foundation that can be used in future educational programmes, courses, workshops and professional development initiatives.

Through its international football network, contributors and professional knowledge, The Book of Scouting also supports Football Conference Istanbul.

Several professionals featured in the book will take part in the conference, sharing their experience across scouting, recruitment, sporting management, player development and football leadership.

A special presentation of The Book of Scouting – Volume One: From Intuition to Evidence will also take place during the conference.

Become a Partner

Football Conference Istanbul by FootEx welcomes organisations that want to connect their brand with football executives, Sporting Directors, Chief Scouts, recruitment professionals, agents and industry leaders.

Partnership and sponsorship opportunities for Football Conference Istanbul 2026 will be announced separately.

For all Partnership & Sponsorship enquiries:

Ogan Tarhan
+90 532 245 14 78
ogantarhan@proton.me

Football Conference Istanbul 2026

From scouting and transfers to team management, from data and AI to career planning, Football Conference Istanbul brings together leading figures from across the transfer world.

FootEx SUMMIT - 26 Eylül

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