Scandalous Referee Decisions Favoring Galatasaray: Complete List of Errors Revealed

In his research, Yurttaş meticulously compiled referee decisions that football analysts and refereeing experts have unanimously agreed upon since the start of the league. His week-by-week analysis sheds light on the controversial structure of Turkish football, unveiling what he describes as its “dirty system.”

Here is the content of Gürel Yurttaş’ widely discussed article:

The Points Galatasaray Won Thanks to Referees: Unprecedented Cases

“I have been following Turkish football since the 1980s.
As a journalist, I have witnessed many things.
This isn’t new; incorrect and flawed referee decisions have always existed.

Especially the incentive bonus incidents—they were quite trendy at one point.
Mistakes from referees would happen to every team, sometimes in favor, sometimes against.
A bit more for one, a bit less for another—it would vary.

But I’ve never seen anything like this season.
Yes, Galatasaray has built a strong squad, a good team, but I have never seen this many erroneous and incorrect referee decisions in favor of one team.

If these mistakes hadn’t been made—especially in the past two weeks—would the points gap with Fenerbahçe have been this large? I leave that question to you, the readers.

Now, you might say, hasn’t Fenerbahçe or Beşiktaş benefited from any referee calls?
They have, but only a few.
Galatasaray’s cases, however, are far too numerous.”

Week 1
Galatasaray-Hatayspor: 2-1

• Batshuayi’s goal in the 90th minute was offside.

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Week 3
Adana Demirspor-Galatasaray: 1-5

• In the 1st minute, Torreira handled the ball. No penalty was awarded.

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Week 4
Galatasaray-Çaykur Rizespor: 5-0

• 33rd minute: Torreira’s foul on Ali Sowe in the penalty area wasn’t called.
• 75th minute: Abdülkerim pushed his opponent in the box; no penalty was awarded.

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Week 5
Galatasaray-Gaziantep: 3-1

• 11th minute: Barış Alper’s goal followed a clear handball, but the goal stood.

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Week 6
Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray: 1-3

• 36th minute: Davinson Sánchez brought down Džeko. As the last man, he should have received a red card but only got a yellow.

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Week 7
Galatasaray-Kasımpaşa? 3-3

• 9th minute: Yunus fouled Winck. If advantage had been applied, it would have led to a 100% goal-scoring opportunity.

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Week 8
Galatasaray-Alanyaspor: 1-0

• 10th minute: Mertens elbowed Agusto but did not receive a red card.
• Muslera protested the referee intensely but received no card.

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Week 9
Antalyaspor-Galatasaray: 0-3

• 62nd minute: Abdülkerim fouled Gaich in the penalty area, but play continued.

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Week 10
Galatasaray-Beşiktaş: 2-1

• 16th minute: Davinson Sánchez punched Immobile but wasn’t penalized.
• 29th minute: Sánchez kicked Rafa Silva’s ankle in a dangerous area. Neither a foul nor a card was given.
• 45+1st minute: Barış Alper brought down Immobile, denying a clear goal-scoring chance. A red card was warranted, but he received only a yellow.
• 67th minute: While Ersin was setting up the defensive wall, the referee restarted play, and Galatasaray scored their second goal.
• 70th minute: Barış Alper avoided a second yellow card after a reckless foul.

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Week 11
Galatasaray-Samsunspor: 3-2

• 20th minute: Torreira’s foul on Ncham in the penalty area should have resulted in a penalty, but play continued.
• 85th minute: Galatasaray’s third goal followed an uncalled foul in the buildup.

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Week 13
Galatasaray-Eyüpspor: 2-2

• Davinson Sánchez made a studs-up challenge on Thiam. A red card was expected, but he wasn’t even booked.
• 56th minute: Sánchez fouled Thiam again but was not given a second yellow.
• 83rd minute: Mertens fouled Ampem in the penalty area, but Eyüpspor’s penalty claim was denied.

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Week 15
Galatasaray-Trabzonspor: 4-3

• 25th minute: Yunus elbowed Cham, an action warranting a red card, but he wasn’t even shown a yellow.
• 28th minute: Galatasaray’s second goal came after the referee ignored a foul on a Trabzonspor player.
• 88th minute: Muslera fouled Banza in the penalty area. No penalty was awarded.

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Week 16
Kayserispor-Galatasaray: 1-5

• 2nd minute: The penalty decision in Galatasaray’s favor was unwarranted.
• The assistant referee incorrectly flagged two dangerous Kayserispor attacks as offside, which was later proven false.

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Week 17
Galatasaray-Göztepe: 2-1

• Barış Alper protested the referee intensely and was seen swearing but received no card.
• Barış Alper sarcastically applauded the referee but again avoided a card.
• In the closing moments, Göztepe was denied a clear penalty after Torreira handled the ball in the box.

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These observations are not my own but are based on the consensus of former referees and referee instructors.
I have never seen so many decisions favoring one team.
If even a few of these mistakes had been corrected, would the gap between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe (or other teams) still be so wide?
The interpretation is yours.”