MHK's discussion regarding the Galatasaray-Antalyaspor match leaked!

While a new topic of debate occupies the agenda in Turkish football every day, the conversation between the Turkish Football Federation's Referee Consultant Hugh Dallas and the referees following a penalty incident in the Galatasaray-Antalyaspor match has become a major talking point on social media.

Dallas evaluated the incident and asked the referees leading and critical questions. Referee Abdülkadir Bitigen, while evaluating the position, emphasized the players' movements and the clarity of the contact. VAR referee Özgür Yankaya provided some references while explaining his decision and stated that errors are part of human nature. Dallas emphasized that referees should make their decisions without going beyond what is expected and without awarding penalties for soft contacts.

Here are those conversations:

Hugh Dallas: "You see the position from a very good angle. Please tell me what you saw on the field and in the VAR room. Please tell me how you reached the conclusion that 'Wow, what a big mistake I have made'."

Referee Abdülkadir Bitigen: "Because the number 11 player blocked my view, I could not see the point of contact. VAR saw the contact and invited me to the screen. It showed the point of contact; I saw the attacking player interfering with the ball and the defensive player interfering with the Galatasaray player. After watching it in fast and close-up, I made my decision as a penalty."

Hugh Dallas: "Kadir, do you still think this is a foul a week later?"

Abdülkadir Bitigen: "I think it was a soft contact. I don't think it's a penalty."

Hugh Dallas: "Why did you call the referee for such a soft contact, which has been underlined many times that it should never be interfered with? You put the referee under pressure."

VAR referee Özgür Yankaya: "In short, I made a mistake. When I said the referee couldn't see it there, I reviewed it. I looked at the expectation, I saw the contact. At that moment, I thought it would be like this."

Hugh Dallas: "Özgür, the players' job is to exaggerate and win a penalty. We have underlined many times that you should not look at the attack, but at the action of the defensive player. The player creates an expectation by exaggerating."

VAR referee Özgür Yankaya: "I'm not saying I did it based on expectation. I am still questioning why I did it. Sometimes we can make mistakes. I had a position in my mind. In a national match, our player had won a penalty by throwing himself. I had that position in my mind, it was very similar."

Abdülkadir Bitigen: "I understand Özgür very well because he was in the VAR room. I stated that I could not see the contact clearly. Are we going to look at the attacking player's exaggeration or the defensive player's intervention? Attacking players exaggerate every time, but isn't the important thing the intervention at foot level?"

Hugh Dallas: "The summary is very clear: we do not award soft penalties. Even if there is a slight contact, we do not award soft penalties."

FIND AND EXPLAIN

Former FIFA-badged referee Fırat Aydınus stated in a post on his social media account that whoever leaked this conversation must be found and identified as soon as possible.

Here is that post by Fırat Aydınus:

Whoever recorded and leaked this must be found and identified immediately.
Otherwise, you will be casting suspicion on those who participated from the educators, the MHK, the management, the Super League referee and VAR staff, and Tayfur Özkan, the Referee Affairs manager who ensures the referees' participation in the seminar by sending links.!!

— Fırat Aydınus (@firataydinus) March 25, 2024

News Source: 12punto