The problem is not a referee, it is a management approach

As a congress member of the Fenerbahçe Sports Club, I believe that refereeing debates in our football have gone far beyond the classic evaluations made after ninety minutes. What has happened in recent matches makes one question not just individual incidents, but how Turkish refereeing is managed.

The decisions made or not made in Fenerbahçe's recent matches naturally create a reaction within our community. However, looking at the issue solely through the window of "a mistake was made against Fenerbahçe" diminishes the real problem.

The real question is this: Why are different standards applied to the same situations in Turkey?

An intervention that is called as "play on" in one match becomes a foul in another. A situation that results in a yellow card one week is accepted as the natural flow of the game the next. We cannot even see a common standard in interventions inside the penalty area.

There is the same uncertainty regarding VAR. Technology was introduced to reduce clear and obvious errors, but today VAR itself is at the center of the debate. Unless a consistent standard is established regarding which situations to intervene in, it will continue to create suspicion instead of building trust.

It is simplistic to place the responsibility here solely on the referees on the pitch. The institution that appoints the referees, evaluates their performance, and determines the standard to be applied is the Central Referee Board (MHK).

I believe that the expectations of the communities are the same.  

The expectation of football fans is extremely simple: The same decision for the same situation.

If an intervention is a card when a Fenerbahçe player commits it, it should also be a card when it is committed against a Fenerbahçe player. And when it is committed against a Beşiktaş or Karagümrük player as well… Justice is possible when it is applied equally to every team.

When we play poorly on the pitch, we should be able to say so. When our opponent plays better than us, we should be able to accept it. However, our playing poorly does not make a wrong referee decision correct.

If we want to save Turkish football, we have to make a serious revision to the refereeing system. What we experienced in the World Cup is clear. Millions of our citizens were saddened. Now it is time to turn back and address this system and the "bias" that has been debated for years.

Uncalled penalties, cards that were not shown when they should have been, followed by cards shown for irrelevant positions... In the end, the fan goes crazy, and this situation does not change regardless of the team.

The main issue before the MHK is no longer the names of the referees, but the issue of trust.

Even the fact that people start discussing which team a referee has favored in the past when their name is announced is a serious alarm for the system.

The MHK must be more transparent. It should explain to the public with what criteria referees are evaluated, in what situations VAR will intervene, and why similar situations are interpreted differently.

Because every unexplained decision creates a new debate, and every inconsistent decision creates a new lack of trust.

Fenerbahçe has been one of Turkey's most important sports institutions since 1907. The expectation of such a community is not privilege, but justice.

For this reason, our call to the MHK is very clear:

Do not grant privileges to Fenerbahçe.

Do not grant privileges to our rivals either.

Just apply the same standard to everyone.

No one expects a flawless referee. Humans make mistakes. However, it is the right of all of us to expect a refereeing system that evaluates its mistakes, maintains its standards, and can be held accountable to the public when necessary.

The problem is not a whistle.

The problem is not a referee.

The problem is that the system managing that refereeing does not inspire trust.

The question the MHK needs to answer is simple:

Is the same decision really made for the same situation in Turkish football?

If it is, come out and explain it. If it is not, explain why and how you will fix it.