“Galatasaray Should Have Been Reduced to 10 Men”: Acun Ilıcalı Critiques Officiating

Following Fenerbahçe‘s 3-1 victory over Gaziantep FK in the Trendyol Süper Lig, Ilıcalı expressed his thoughts on the win and ongoing controversies:

“First of all, we are very happy. This victory was crucial for us. When we drop points, we accept it as part of football. But today, I want to thank our fans. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard such powerful support. It energizes our players. As a community, we are united. We will continue to push forward in this challenging season by securing victories.”

Ilıcalı also addressed the reactions from Galatasaray:

“Our rival has been making significant complaints and outbursts, which we find hard to comprehend. We’re astonished. A Galatasaray official claimed refereeing errors were against them. We challenged them and brought in a foreign referee, and they disappeared. If you’re curious about their sudden silence, take a look at yesterday. Unfortunately, Galatasaray officials act as if no other clubs exist in Turkey.

Just by listening to their statements, you’d think the match was managed with unbelievable errors. Were there mistakes against Galatasaray? Yes. Should Galatasaray have been reduced to 10 men? Yes. Was their opponent’s penalty not awarded? Yes. Do you think no other teams exist? Was Eyüpspor‘s right not violated? Should Sivas have played at full strength? I find it hard to believe.

You even complain about match scheduling, creating chaos everywhere. In a situation right in front of the referee, he didn’t see it. We’re calling out: we will break this system, dismantle these perceptions, and end the injustice. We are united and will persist. We are committed to becoming champions. God willing, we will see what happens this year.”*