Okan Buruk makes statement regarding Icardi's footage! 'Edited footage emerged'

In the 27th week of the Super Lig, Galatasaray hosted Antalyaspor, managed by Sergen Yalçın, at home.

Winning the match 2-1 with goals scored by Kerem Aktürkoğlu, the Yellow-Reds rose to the top of the league once again with this result.

After the match, Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk spoke to the broadcaster beIN Sports.

Stating that the defeat against Sparta Prague in the Europa League had a negative impact on the team, the 50-year-old manager said, "I had said before the match how well the Antalya team plays. They are very effective offensively. Our start to the match was low. Our start on our own pitch was not exactly as we wanted. If we had made it 2-0, it could have been different. We could have finished the match with a penalty in the second half as well. Our shortcomings in the last 2 matches are that we lose the ball too much... Our biggest problem today was the turnovers we made. Winning was very important. We took back the lead. There is a cup match in 3 days. Then there is the Beşiktaş match. We want to evaluate this well."

Emphasizing that Galatasaray has won all their home matches this season, Buruk stated, "Our performance at home is very good. When we include the Champions League and European cups, our winning percentage is high. We play very strongly at home with our fans. We play to win. The rivalry with Fenerbahçe has been very intense for two years. We always know Galatasaray's performance in the final stretch."

Reminding that Mauro Icardi's suspension was announced hours before the match, Okan Buruk noted the following:

"We learned that Icardi received a suspension hours before the match. We made all our preparations with Icardi. Even though he was referred without a precautionary measure, we were notified hours before the match that our player would not play. This is something that would not happen anywhere else in the world. If the match had been played on Sunday, Icardi would have been on the pitch. Because it was on Monday, he could not play. This also affected us negatively. After a negative week, not playing Icardi this week pushed us back psychologically. When we look at it in general, it was a match we had to win. We continue on our way by winning. I congratulate my players who made every kind of sacrifice in this busy schedule. We have played 43 matches since July 25. We have reached a record points average in the league in such a tough schedule. This is not an easy thing. Sometimes you play well, sometimes you win without playing well. Our main goal is to win. We have to be better in the next match. From now on, we will play 2 matches with 3 days in between. We are going through a difficult period, but we will drop to a single match per week afterwards. We did not want to be eliminated from Europe, but when we look at the bright side, we will focus more on the league in the final part."

"EDITED FOOTAGE EMERGED"

Galatasaray manager Buruk claimed that the footage from the MKE Ankaragücü match, which led to Mauro Icardi's suspension, was edited.

Stating that a lot of time has passed since the MKE Ankaragücü match, Buruk said, "Edited footage emerged. Icardi does not remember anything clearly. Such footage can be produced regarding many players during a match. Icardi has never been involved in such things in Turkey. He is someone who only comes to the fore with his football and tries to do his best for Galatasaray. Not playing today saddened him and it was a surprise for him as well. He will be ready for the next match. His not playing was a surprise for all of us. Having such an important player out all of a sudden was a challenging factor for us."

News Source: 12punto