The departure of Liam Rosenior from Hull City at the end of the 2023–24 season has thrust chairman Acun Ilicali into the public eye.
The Tigers’ season-ending loss at Plymouth Argyle, along with West Brom’s victory over Preston, ensured they ended seventh in the Championship standings.
After finishing sixth at Christmas, City lost their spot in the play-offs after winning three of their last thirteen games. There was a glimmer of hope after victories over Queens Park Rangers and Coventry, but on the last day, they were defeated.
The club officially announced Rosenior’s resignation on Tuesday, and Ilicali disclosed the challenges involved in making the choice. “This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make as chairman of this wonderful football club,” he stated.
“No matter how trying the circumstance, I have to remove personal sentiment from these moments and ensure the long-term vision of the club is at the centre of my thinking.
“Since Liam’s arrival, we have enjoyed an open working relationship and progress has undoubtedly been made over the course of his tenure. He will always be a part of this family and I thank him for all his work.
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“However, it has become evident that our visions for the future are not aligned and I feel that now is the time to make a change. Our philosophy is clear, we will continue to drive this club forward, and whilst doing so I will continue to be open and transparent with our fans.”
Illicai will now search for his third permanent head coach since completing his takeover of Hull in January 2022. Rosenior’s departure has sent shockwaves after the 39-year-old was nominated for Championship Manager of the Season.
With that in mind, HullLive has taken a look at the Hull chairman and how he came about purchasing the club over two years ago.
Who is Acun Illicai?
Illicai is a Turkish broadcaster and TV producer. The 54-year-old is the founder and director of ACUNMEDYA, creating daytime and primetime content in Europe, South and North America. The company often purchased the broadcasting rights to famous shows and adapted them for Turkish viewers.
Shows like ‘Deal or No Deal?’, ‘Survivor’, ‘MasterChef’, ‘The Voice’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘Ninja Warrior’ have all been broadcasted. In addition to producing content, the company operates two of the biggest TV channels in Turkey – TV8 and TV.5.
TV8’s ratings have rapidly increased since ACUNMEDYA acquired the channel which led to TV8.5 launching – quickly becoming one of the country’s most highly viewed channels.
ACUNMEDYA now produces content around four different continents as well as four different countries. Through the company, Exxen was launched and now serves over 1 million subscribers. Now, they broadcast the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
In sports, before purchasing Hull, Illicai acquired a partnership in Dutch team Fortuna Sittard before ending his partnership in 2021. Upon his decision, he explained how he was continuing his football investment in England.
That’s where Hull came in when he purchased the Tigers from Assem Allam. The Turkish businessman took full control of the football club .
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Illicali is worth $100m (£79.8m).
