Fenerbahçe was defeated 2-1 by Beşiktaş in the derby played at home in the 4th week of the Trendyol Süper League. Following the match, Fenerbahçe President Aziz Yıldırım made statements to members of the press.
Stating that they did not play well but that the referee made decisions that overshadowed the match, Aziz Yıldırım said, "We haven't made any comments for four weeks. Two penalties were not given in the Gençlerbirliği match. We said it happens and didn't raise our voices. There were referee errors in the Konya match as well. Then, in the Samsun match, a penalty was not given for the move made on Vedat, but we won. We said again, 'Maybe they will improve.' Today, there were referee errors again. We played poorly, we weren't good. We also congratulate Beşiktaş. There are two penalties, and they were not given again.
One of them was in the 5th minute when Oğuz was battling their center-backs and they took the ball in front of them with their hand. Play continued. Then, in Kerem's position, he was tripped. It wasn't given either. Maybe if he had given it and we had scored, Beşiktaş might have scored again. That's a separate issue. We didn't play well, but the referee should call what he sees. VAR is also sleeping. If you are bringing in a VAR that is useless as a foreigner, this is not a solution. These referees are incompetent. Unless someone is winding them up from behind like a toy, they are all incompetent. Turkish football is not going anywhere. What are we going to do?
They will punish us or something. I am not afraid of punishment. We also apologize to our fans. I hope they excuse us. We didn't play well, but our rights were violated. They are slicing us up bit by bit. The referee doesn't call a foul in the position where they brought down our player in the midfield.
Because there are 3 players in front of him, he doesn't see the position from them. There is no intervention from VAR. At least intervene. They officially tripped Kerem. Football cannot be played in Turkey this way," he said.
"If necessary, they should postpone the Turkish leagues for a year and train referees"
Stating that the solution should be found by the authorized institutions, not by them, Yıldırım said, "The TFF President and his executives will think about the solution, not us. If we say it, it goes to very different points. If I start talking, no one can stop me, let them be aware. The MHK (Central Referee Committee) president will find a remedy for these. If necessary, they should postpone the Turkish leagues for a year and train referees. Talent is innate. Talent cannot be acquired later through training. You cannot continue the refereeing of a referee who was beaten by a president. He is already psychologically destroyed. Today's events happened because he didn't know what to do. It's a pity for Turkish football. Fenerbahçe lost today, we will win tomorrow. But all teams have been complaining about this referee for 4 weeks. Then a solution must be produced for this. Bringing in a foreign VAR is not a solution. The TFF will see where the situation is going and will take precautions for it. If I were to say it, I would start talking about other things," he expressed.
"They are either being wound up like a toy doll or they are incompetent"
Upon being asked whether they are demanding the resignation of the MHK, President Yıldırım said, "If necessary, we will demand everyone's resignation. We all came and put our hands under the stone. If they try to prevent this, the struggle will go to other points. I don't want that either. Will these errors be corrected next week? We want justice. We don't want them to protect us or take sides. If we wanted that, we would have destroyed the structure of Fenerbahçe. Unfortunately, our winning has been prevented by referees for 4 weeks. They are managing as they wish. They are either being wound up like a toy doll or they are incompetent. Everyone, please come to your senses. No injustice should be done to any team. To save Turkish football, the TFF should focus on this issue and produce a solution for it. Then a change of duty might be necessary, and then the subject goes to other points. We will not take any initiative over anyone. We are saying what happened. Those who are authorized will do what is necessary. Going to the federation or meeting with the MHK president is not a solution. This is wrong. They should see the handball in the 5th minute. If he doesn't see it, VAR should see it. Why did VAR come? So that it can see what the referee doesn't see. If it doesn't see it, there is no need for it either," he stated.
"Referee commentators should make correct comments"
Expressing that referee commentators are also misleading the public, Aziz Yıldırım said, "They make comments without seeing the mistakes in the matches they officiated in the past. The rules in football are clear. You look at where the ball hits the hand and if it's a penalty, it's written. You look at that, you say that. You are both misleading the fans and interpreting events other than what you see. This also harms us. I will speak by naming names one of these days. I will also show their past mistakes. They should also please make the right comments."
"We did not go to our President and complain about anyone"
Yıldırım answered as follows regarding whether a meeting was held with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on these issues:
"We met with President Erdoğan. We are discussing the problems with other places, not with him. We did not go to him and complain about anyone. This is not the duty of the honorable president. There is the TFF, there is the MHK, they will do their duties."
"The squad is good but we need to work harder"
Responding to the question of whether the squad is sufficient for the Champions League level, Aziz Yıldırım said, "There is a financial congress on the 27th. I will explain everything there. Everyone is telling and saying something. The important thing here is to prepare the Turkish children in the squad and win them over. They say the center-back is missing. We bought a young kid. There is a kid named Mert Müldür. Why aren't we utilizing him? If necessary, we will utilize him. There are 8 Champions League matches, and 6 matches against Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor. That makes 14 matches. If this squad plays 14 matches, wouldn't it be successful? It would. After that, it is essential for the players we consider as substitutes in the Turkish league to play. Let them also achieve success, let them also struggle. You keep saying let's bring in people. There is a right for 10 foreigners, how are we going to bring them? No one gives them. The market has skyrocketed, starting from 50-60 million Euros. We bought 3 players by giving 50-60, who will pay the money? The fans are paying. Isn't it a pity for them? The squad is good, but we need to work harder," he noted.
Finally, President Aziz Yıldırım said that they have made an application regarding the penalty Matteo Guendouzi received from UEFA and that they hope the issue will be resolved at the Arbitration Board.
News Source: 12punto
