A letter and 7 questions from Fenerbahçe to the TFF!

Fenerbahçe Sports Club has sent a letter to the Turkish Football Federation regarding the appointment of referee Bahattin Şimşek to the Fenerbahçe-Samsunspor and Galatasaray-İstanbulspor matches, as well as recent refereeing decisions. The letter also highlights the differing attitudes and decisions taken against the two teams in recent times and asks for the reason behind this.

According to the report on Sporx, the letter sent to the Turkish Football Federation Board of Directors expresses a reaction to the decision in the Galatasaray-İstanbulspor match, where it is claimed that the wall was set up incorrectly during the free-kick goal scored by Kerem Aktürkoğlu, which helped the yellow-red team secure the result.

7 QUESTIONS FROM FENERBAHÇE TO THE TFF!

In the letter sent by the yellow-navy club, the following questions were directed to Turkish Football Federation President Mehmet Büyükekşi and all those responsible under his leadership;

"On what grounds was Bahattin Şimşek appointed to the Galatasaray match just a few days after his controversial decision in the Fenerbahçe-Samsunspor match? Why was the foul decision that was ignored and not applied in the Galatasaray-İstanbulspor match applied in the Fenerbahçe match? Are the rules in football applied differently based on team colors? While the goal canceled in the 67th minute due to Mauro Icardi's offside was reviewed for 4 minutes and 30 seconds, is it sufficient to add only 5 minutes of stoppage time? If the match had been a 1-1 draw at that moment instead of a 2-1 lead for Galatasaray, would referee Bahattin Şimşek have still added 5 minutes to the match? While the entire public is questioning the three obviously erroneous interventions made in just one match, what has been the comment, opinion, and assessment of the Turkish Football Federation and the Central Referee Board? What will be your stance against this injustice experienced due to the inconsistent decisions of referees between the two teams?"

A CALL FOR JUSTICE TO THE TFF

Furthermore, the letter claims that Bahattin Şimşek influenced the outcomes of both the Fenerbahçe-Samsunspor and Galatasaray-İstanbulspor matches, and calls on the Turkish Football Federation for justice.

HERE IS THAT LETTER FROM FENERBAHÇE...

"To the Attention of the Turkish Football Federation Board of Directors;

The non-standard referee decisions applied between our football team, which is in the championship race in the Super Lig, and our rival have reached a peak with the Galatasaray-İstanbulspor match played on January 25, 2024.

Bahattin Şimşek, who officiated the match played on January 25, 2024, also officiated our team's match against Samsunspor, where he made an incorrect foul decision—a view shared by all referee commentators and the sports public—and influenced the course of the match.

The referee who made this significant error was appointed to the match of our rival, another team in the championship race, and this same referee ignored the foul decision he had ruled against our team 4 days (96 hours) ago, this time in favor of Galatasaray, influencing the result of the match.

In the same match, the referee did not stop at this error; the Galatasaray Football Team reached the result with a wall set up at an incorrect distance.

The injustice arising from the different decisions made by referees between the two teams in the championship race has disturbed our Club and our community.

We ask the following questions to all those responsible, including Turkish Football Federation President Mr. Mehmet Büyükekşi:

On what grounds was Bahattin Şimşek appointed to the Galatasaray match just a few days after his controversial decision in the Fenerbahçe-Samsunspor match?

Why was the foul decision that was ignored and not applied in the Galatasaray-İstanbulspor match applied in the Fenerbahçe match?

Are the rules in football applied differently based on team colors?

Another issue we are waiting for an answer to with curiosity is the inconsistency in the stoppage time added to the end of the match.

While the goal canceled in the 67th minute due to Mauro Icardi's offside was reviewed for 4 minutes and 30 seconds, is it sufficient to add only 5 minutes of stoppage time?

If the match had been a 1-1 draw at that moment instead of a 2-1 lead for Galatasaray, would referee Bahattin Şimşek have still added 5 minutes to the match?

While the entire public is questioning the three obviously erroneous interventions made in just one match, what has been the comment, opinion, and assessment of the Turkish Football Federation and the Central Referee Board?

What will be your stance against this injustice experienced due to the inconsistent decisions of referees between the two teams?"