Galatasaray Board Member: I am waiting for the release of VAR conversations

After a 2-1 defeat of Galatasaray against Beşiktaş in the Turkish Süper Lig, Galatasaray board member İbrahim Hatipoğlu criticized the refereeing and the performance of VAR in an interview.

Harsh criticism of the referee and VAR team

Hatipoğlu, referring to the officiating of Yasin Kol, stated:

"The hospitality of the home team was appropriate and respectful at first, but what followed was not worthy of Beşiktaş. Last night, the match played in Bodrum surprised public opinion. Here, the second act of the same play was performed. Even the appointment of the referee was questionable. The entire country saw how one team was victimized. According to our review, all refereeing experts confirmed that the red card was a mistake. Also, a clear penalty on Davinson Sanchez was not awarded. While VAR should have intervened in certain situations, it did not, and it intervened where it shouldn't have. Our constant calls for quality referees have always been ignored."

Ambiguity in how the referee communicated with the VAR room

Hatipoğlu further pointed to the language issue of the main referee:

"Another issue was the referee's unfamiliarity with the English language. I find it very interesting—how did the referee communicate to turn a yellow card into a red one? He said he was reviewing the penalty scene, but how exactly did he communicate with the VAR room?"

Emphasis on Galatasaray's championship ambitions

He stated that Galatasaray has always won the title in seasons where they finished March at the top of the table, and added:

"We will beat everyone and become champions. We all witnessed the rival’s efforts, the referee assignments, and the calls for foreign referees. Be sure that we’ll hear the same voice in the match against Fenerbahçe. We want justice, and we expect the referees and the VAR team to make careful decisions."

Request for quality referees, not just foreign ones

Hatipoğlu emphasized that the issue is not about foreign or domestic referees, and added:

"We want quality referees to be appointed. Our eyes are on those who make these appointments. I am waiting for the release of VAR conversations and I want to know exactly what was said."

Message of unity and hope for the title

He concluded by expressing his confidence in the coach and players of Galatasaray:

"May belongs to us. Galatasaray will be champion. Despite all these futile efforts and behind-the-scenes games, we will reach the championship with unity and solidarity. The last team to win the title three times in a row was Galatasaray. When you go for your third consecutive title, some try to make another team champion. We trust our coaching staff and our players. We will be champions."