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Acun Ilıcalı: “Foreign VAR Means Justice in Football”

Fenerbahçe defeated Çaykur Rizespor 3-2 in the Süper Lig. After the match, Fenerbahçe Vice President Acun Ilıcalı made statements.

Speaking to the press after their 3-2 victory at Ülker Stadium, Ilıcalı began his remarks by offering his condolences for the passing of two significant figures in the Fenerbahçe community, and board member Mehmet Dereli.

Expressing that it was a very sorrowful day, Ilıcalı thanked the clubs that extended their condolences.

He also highlighted his admiration for the , saying, “There is only one thing I can say our supporters: they have written another story once again. The growing intensity of the stadium’s atmosphere, the increasing belief of Fenerbahçe fans in success—these are all wonderful things. It fills one with pride. Despite conceding two goals, the unwavering support of our fans and their continued backing of the is invaluable. I also want to thank our players. Their determination to fight until the very end and turn the game around has strengthened our belief even further. Our fans are not just the 12th man; I can even say they are the 13th man. Our players are writing a new story of belief, coming from behind in two matches in two weeks—these are great things.”

Regarding the argument between Yandaş and Samet Akaydin, Ilıcalı viewed it as part of the game and continued:

“Today, the referee is being debated, and I don’t quite understand why. We will closely monitor the , but if you ask me what happened, I couldn’t find anything. I don’t understand why referees are constantly turned into a topic of controversy. It seems to have become a habit. If there was a blatant mistake—a penalty not given, a 100% valid goal canceled—I would understand, but today, I don’t see what the issue is. Previously, one of our players, Fred, was sent off for using an English word. The same thing happened today. I don’t understand what happened here; even the player admitted it himself. Our player was sent off back then, which means it can happen to any team. I don’t see any favoritism. The was his own doing. What else is there to discuss? I haven’t seen anything, but we are used to such things. We were met with an unpleasant statement. Foreign VAR means justice. Justice is when mistakes and correct decisions are distributed equally. Maybe we failed to explain this. Mistakes will always happen, but now we have foreign officials, and I don’t understand why people are against this. The same people who demanded foreign VAR are now criticizing it. Last week, I said, ‘Everyone wanted it.’ Now that it has arrived, you are targeting it. I don’t understand why there is a battle against foreign VAR in .”

Emphasizing that they do not seek favoritism but only fairness, Ilıcalı concluded his words by saying:

“We do not want mistakes to be in our favor either. If mistakes happen, they should be distributed equally. We never said, ‘We brought in foreign VAR, we demanded it, and the implemented it.’ Yet, people are twisting statements and making interpretations. Hopefully, justice will prevail in Turkish football, and there will be no favoritism. From the very beginning, we have said, ‘We trust our federation.’ The issue of foreign VAR was discussed within the Clubs Association and was a collective request from the clubs. There is no need to make a big deal out of this.”

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