Scandalous Referee Ali Şansalan to Officiate Fenerbahçe-Kasımpaşa Clash!

The referees for Matchweek 24 of the Trendyol Süper Lig have been announced.

Ali Şansalan has been appointed as the referee for the Fenerbahçe-Kasımpaşa match, which will take place on Sunday, February 16.

FIRST TIME IN 3.5 YEARS

Referee Ali Şansalan has not officiated a Fenerbahçe match since October 17, 2021.

The last time Şansalan refereed a Fenerbahçe match, the team suffered a 3-1 away defeat to Trabzonspor. His decisions in that game sparked major controversy, particularly from the Fenerbahçe camp.

ALİ KOÇ: “ALİ MAÇALAN”

During that match, Şansalan’s decision to send off Fenerbahçe’s Kim Min-Jae with a second yellow card in the 23rd minute drew heavy criticism. After the game, Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç referred to the referee as “Ali Maçalan” instead of “Ali Şansalan”, implying that he “fixed” the match.

* “Maçalan” is a play on words in Turkish. It combines “Maç” (which means “match” or “game”) with a modified version of Şansalan (the referee’s last name). The phrase implies that Ali Şansalan “fixes” or “manipulates” matches rather than fairly officiating them.

By calling him “Ali Maçalan”, Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç was accusing the referee of influencing the outcome of the game unfairly.