Statement from Ankaragücü regarding Eryaman Stadium and VAR debates!

MKE Ankaragücü Club President İsmail Mert Fırat announced that the pitch at Eryaman Stadium has been improved and necessary work has been carried out for their match against Galatasaray in the 26th week of the Süper Lig.

In a written statement, Fırat noted that rapid maintenance work began on the Eryaman Stadium pitch following the Gençlerbirliği-Trabzonspor match played in the Ziraat Turkish Cup on February 8.

"IN MUCH BETTER CONDITION"

Responding to criticisms regarding the pitch at Eryaman Stadium, İsmail Mert Fırat said, "In the 2023-2024 season, a total of 29 league and cup matches have been played at Eryaman Stadium by Ankaragücü and Gençlerbirliği. However, polemics regarding the pitch arise before matches against certain opponents. The institution that will make the decision on this matter is the Turkish Football Federation. Following the 3 matches played at the stadium between February 2-6, the TFF conducted an inspection on February 7 and gave approval for the Gençlerbirliği-Trabzonspor match to be played. The stadium was taken into 10 days of maintenance after the match. All technological possibilities were utilized while maintaining the pitch. Climatic conditions in Ankara are above seasonal norms. As of today, the condition of the pitch is much better than the pitch reported on February 7," he said.

President Fırat also said the following regarding the match they will play against Galatasaray on Sunday, February 18:

"The defeat we suffered in the Konyaspor match has further increased the importance of this game. The erroneous decision made after a 3-minute review in a position that the entire sports public interpreted as an undisputed penalty caused us to leave Konya without points."

Stating that they have requested the VAR records regarding this decision from the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) through official channels, Fırat expressed his views by saying, "Previously, these records were shared with the public for some clubs. As a club, we are also waiting for the response from the TFF. We believe that the TFF will share these records with us with an understanding of impartial management equal to every club."

Commenting that "The biggest problem of Turkish football is the trust issue that football clubs have towards the institutions of football," Fırat stated, "A Süper Lig where rules are applied equally for everyone and no privileges are granted to any club is the desire of every one of our clubs without exception. I hope the decision to be made will be fair and will not create a serious loss of trust in the sports public once again."

News Source: 12punto