'Nobody can leave just because they want to' - Portugal star threatened with FIFA action after claiming he wants to retire mid-season despite Besiktas contract

Besiktas president Serdal Adali addressed the chaos and revealed a series of fraught meetings that unfolded in the aftermath of last weekend’s match against Basaksehir. Silva had been substituted in the 83rd minute, and shortly afterwards, his agent requested an urgent discussion.

Adali told reporters: "Rafa left the field in the 73rd minute of the game against Basaksehir. His agent requested a meeting, and so it happened. Afterwards, we met with Rafa and had dinner together. I thought there was a problem with his substitution and we wanted to resolve it. We worked hard on that. But when I spoke with Rafa, he said he had no problems with anyone and that he wanted to leave football."

The situation changed hours later with Silva abruptly altering his reasoning and instead expressing a desire to leave for another club.

Adali explained: "After a while, he changed his mind and said he wanted to go somewhere else, presenting different arguments. There's no need to look for someone to blame. We wanted Rafa from the beginning. We didn't owe Rafa anything financially. We still have the same expectations for him. We always treated him with great care, attending to all his needs. He was welcomed as our player. As a Besiktas fan, would I want one of my best players to leave?"

Adali made it clear that the club would not hesitate to take the dispute to FIFA if required.

"No one can leave simply because they want to leave," he said. "No one can disrespect Besiktas. If necessary, we will go to FIFA."

Adali stressed that the heart of the issue lies squarely with the player: "If he wants to leave, he was informed that there would be a clause. The agent of...Rafa replied: 'Let me bring three million euros and let you leave here.' This is the Besiktas . Players cannot dictate their own rules here. If a player wants to leave Besiktas, Besiktas sets the conditions and the final decision rests with Besiktas.Rafa is a contracted player. Either he reciprocates the affection shown to him immediately and fulfills his obligations until the end of the contract, or he hands in the contract and leaves. If he doesn't accept, he can't go anywhere until the end of the contract. If necessary, we will pay him and he will stay here.

"Nobody can disrespect Besiktas. If necessary, we will go to FIFA. Besiktas will not compromise its objectives. The core of the problem lies with Rafa . I brought the largest number of Portuguese players to Turkey and I meet with all of them constantly. Rafa is a unique figure. If we can't handle the situation, you can imagine the rest. There's no need to look for culprits."

Head coach Sergen Yalcin echoed the president’s frustration. Speaking in a separate press conference, he revealed that Silva had voiced his doubts long before the saga became public.

"Silva told me on the first day that he didn’t want to stay here, that he was thinking about leaving football,” he said.

In recent days, Silva’s stance hardened to the point that he refused to train or play, which forced the coach to escalate the matter to the club’s board.

"Since Rafa is a valuable player, I said that we will manage him easily, that he will not have any problems. So I solved the issue,' he said. "But after a while, the problem started to arise again. This time, I told Rafa his value, that we needed him. We tried to resolve the situation, but the situation reached an unsolvable level. He said that he would no longer train and play in matches.

"Because I had no way to resolve the issue. Our door is open for Rafa Silva to play. I don't think he has a problem with us, but he has cut off communication and only sends messages through his manager. I have already managed as much as I can. If you ask why I substituted him during the game, Messi and Ronaldo are also out today. Nobody is bigger than Besiktas. Every Monday, we are faced with the question of 'Will Rafa train, will he play?' His manager calls the club and threatens that if we cancel his contract, he will play...This is Besiktas... Both Rafa Silva and Sergen Yalcin's places will be filled."

Yalcin has no problems with Silva and is ready to re-integrate him into training, as the entire squad has been built with the Portuguese as the keystone.

"I have never had a problem with Rafa either. Rafa has never disrespected me or behaved badly, he just did his job," he said. "If there were any problems between us, I would have solved them myself. Talk to Rafa, ask him about the problem. He is not acting in accordance with professional contracts.

"I want to play a different game, but the plan is built around him. The player says, 'I don't want to train here, I don't want to play'. Ask the player, let him tell me the reason."

President Adali confirmed that Silva requested one final window of time to weigh his options.

"He asked for permission until tonight and will make a final decision," he said. "I'm not going to let Rafa leave just to keep three or six million. I hope he comes back and focuses. He has a contract for another year and a half. I hope he finds the right path."

Premier League side Wolves explored the possibility of signing Silva during the January window. His performances in the 2023/24 season were spectacular as he even outperformed Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham. While Bellingham recorded 25 goal contributions in La Liga, Silva registered 26 in just 30 league matches for Benfica, placing him among Europe’s finest attacking creators.

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