Acun Ilıcalı: “If Foreign Referees Were Used, There Would Be No Point Gap!”

Acun Ilıcalı’s Quick Response to Okan Buruk’s Criticism of Foreign Referee: “Perception Operation”

Fenerbahçe Vice President Acun Ilıcalı responded to Okan Buruk, who criticized the foreign referee and Jose Mourinho after the 0-0 Galatasaray derby.

Speaking to the press after the match, Ilıcalı made the following statements:

“WE WERE THE DOMINANT SIDE”

“Our players and fans showed everyone the strength of Fenerbahçe. We were the more dominant team. Our opponent had only one shot on target, and that was in the 88th minute. No corners. You’re playing at home, yet you have no shots or corners. We are happy with our performance but not with the result.”

“WE HAVE A FIXTURE ADVANTAGE”

“We have a big fixture advantage. Our opponent will play away against top teams in the league, while we will face relatively easier teams. We are still competing in three competitions. We are proud of our team and coach.”

“PERCEPTION OPERATION”

“Mourinho spoke with the referees… He never told the referee, ‘You can’t officiate here again.’ He didn’t threaten him! Okan Buruk must have spoken in the heat of the moment. I understand him because they played a very poor match. Saying ‘Mourinho is crying’ or ‘the referee was bad’ sounds like a perception operation to me.”

“FOREIGN REFEREE SHOOK THE SYSTEM”

“The situation is very clear. Bringing in a foreign referee shook the system. Before he arrived, people said, ‘Let foreign referees come, even if they come from space, it doesn’t matter.’ Then a foreign referee was appointed, and suddenly they linked it to us. ‘The referee is from Maribor, and Acun has a team in Maribor!’ I laugh at these claims; they have no basis. A referee from Maribor officiating a match involving a team I manage is not an issue. But do we know which teams our local referees support? In England, referees disclose their favorite teams. Why isn’t it the same in Turkey? A referee from Maribor cannot officiate a Maribor match. Likewise, a Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray-supporting referee shouldn’t officiate their matches, except in Turkey.”

“NO POINTS GAP IF FOREIGN REFEREES WERE USED”

“If foreign referees had been in charge, there would be no point gap today. The team with the current advantage hasn’t won in Europe in six matches. That’s the reality. Teams playing against Galatasaray are probably thinking, ‘I wish we had a foreign referee too.’ The only team unhappy with foreign referees is Galatasaray. If you think today’s refereeing was very bad, then your intentions are clear.”

“WE WANT JUSTICE”

“We are asking for justice, not privileges. Mistakes can be made against us or against our rivals. We have peace of mind. Why didn’t anything hit our players’ heads during corner kicks today? Because there was a foreign referee.”

“OTHER TEAMS WILL ALSO SPEAK UP”

“It’s not just Trabzonspor—many teams will speak up against this injustice. We were the first to react, then Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor, and others followed. It’s not about ‘we requested it and got it’; everyone wants justice. Last season in this stadium, weren’t we reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute? Wasn’t our goal disallowed? Of course, we will ask for foreign referees.”

“WE WANT JUSTICE”

“Five years ago, Greece was ranked 20th in European football. They brought in foreign referees, and now they are 12th. If you get used to the local referees here, you won’t succeed in Europe. I want to tell Galatasaray fans: We have no problem with you; we just want justice.”

“TFF WAS ELECTED WITH GALATASARAY’S VOTES”

“If we bring in a referee from Bosnia, they’ll say he’s Dzeko’s friend. If it’s from Poland, they’ll say he’s Szymański’s neighbor. We are progressing step by step. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) was elected with Galatasaray’s votes. They won by just five votes. If Galatasaray had voted for the other side, they wouldn’t have won.”