New Twist in Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray Tensions: Acun Ilıcalı Claims Referee Deal, Hatipoğlu Denies

Acun Ilıcalı confirmed on social media that he reached an agreement with İbrahim Hatipoğlu to have the positions in the Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray matches this season evaluated by foreign referees.

In his social media post, Ilıcalı stated, “After long discussions with Galatasaray Board Member İbrahim Hatipoğlu, we agreed to have the incidents in the matches between both teams this season evaluated by two foreign referees.”

Ilıcalı noted that the review would take place during the international break, saying, “Two referees, whose names we jointly selected, will conduct their evaluations during the international break, and all reports will be shared with the public.”

Response from Galatasaray

Galatasaray Board Member İbrahim Hatipoğlu responded to Acun Ilıcalı’s statements on social media.

Hatipoğlu, denying the agreement, stated, “I was astonished to read Fenerbahçe Vice President Acun Ilıcalı’s post on X. We had discussions, including recent seasons, about having matches reviewed by neutral referees. However, such a statement before a decision has been reached shows a serious lack of sincerity. This post alone reveals the malicious intent and the hidden agenda behind it. This insincere behavior, in the face of our consistent goodwill, sadly reaffirms that neither this person nor his associates should be engaged with.”

New Statement from Acun Ilıcalı

Acun Ilıcalı made another post on social media addressing İbrahim Hatipoğlu’s comments:

In his post, Ilıcalı responded to Hatipoğlu with the following:

1. “He made the call to ‘review the matches and positions’ on live TV in front of millions.
2. We issued an official statement accepting this offer.
3. Following our announcement, he personally called to confirm they accepted, and we agreed to bring in two referees from abroad.
4. Two weeks later, we contacted them again, saying we would bring in a referee from England to review positions.
5. He mentioned they had yet to select a referee and expressed a desire to conduct the review during the international break.
6. He informed me they had agreed with Markus Merk and shared his availability with us.

We accepted.”

Acun Ilıcalı added, “They made the first call in front of millions. We accepted. We held discussions, decided on names and dates, and I expressed that we reached an agreement. Given these steps, this tweet demonstrates an approach that will leave a mark on our sports history. Tomorrow, I will share all details on Fenerbahçe TV.”