Surprising claim from Sinan Engin regarding the referee for the Galatasaray - Fenerbahçe derby

Football commentator Sinan Engin has put forward a striking claim regarding the derby referee, a topic that has become a major talking point in the sports community.

Speaking on the Beyaz Futbol program broadcast on Beyaz TV, Engin stated, "The referee for the Galatasaray - Fenerbahçe derby will be a foreigner. The VAR and AVAR will also be foreigners. They will be European. The football federation will bring in the best European referee. The derby referee will absolutely be a foreigner. The match trio will consist of foreign referees. There is a one percent chance of it being a Turk, but that won't happen. They are in contact with very important referees in Europe. They are looking for the best."

Stating that he does not think Galatasaray will oppose the appointment of a foreign referee for the derby, Engin also touched upon the statement by Turkish Football Federation executive Ural Aküzüm, who said, "Turkish referees will serve as center referees until the end of the 2024-2025 football season in Turkey." Implying that Aküzüm was not sufficiently informed on this matter, Engin said, "I don't think Galatasaray will oppose it. Ural Aküzüm said so, but I don't think he is fully in command of that subject. I think there will be a foreign referee."

Stating that it would carry a great risk for Turkish referees to officiate the derby, Engin summarized the issue with the words, "If the derby referee is Turkish, his whistle will be hung up after the derby. No matter what he gives, no one will be satisfied. A Turkish referee will always be a subject of speculation in this environment."

The eagerly awaited Galatasaray - Fenerbahçe derby will be played on Monday, February 24.