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ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

Mahmut Özgener, the acting president for the Turkish Football Federation, or TFF, announced Friday he would run for the full-term post in elections to be held Tuesday.
The presidency of the federation has been vacant since Hasan Doğan died from a heart attack July 5. Özgener, then vice-president, has been the acting president since.
�I hope that the delegates will support me and my friends Tuesday, on our quest for the success of Turkish football,� Özgener said, in a written statement posted on the official Web site of the TFF.
Özgener's bid for the presidency seems solid, as he has already secured the support of both the Super League Clubs Association and teams from the lower divisions.
Özgener told reporters in Istanbul on Friday that the support increases the responsibility on his shoulders.
�I am very happy with the great support and the interest shown in me,� he said. �This support proves that we have been doing the right things since Hasan Doğan was elected last February. Now the same team will continue under my presidency.�
The first official national match that awaits Özgener is a World Cup qualifier against Armenia on Sept. 6. Özgener said it was just an ordinary game, though acknowledged that tensions will be high.
�Football, and sport in general, is a way of strengthening friendship,� he said. �We will go to Armenia and they will come here. Tensions may be high, but we will go there to play football: politics is not our job.�
The TFF congress will be held Tuesday in Ankara. Özgener is the only candidate for the presidency so far.