25.04.2026 20:40
Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek, stating that Yasin Kol is not a referee for a Fenerbahçe derby, said: 'By appointing a referee without a FIFA badge, whose performance and demeanor on the field this season are controversial, they are playing with our nerves. It is impossible to understand what they aim to achieve by assigning a referee questioned by all clubs in Turkey to one of the world's most significant derbies.'
Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek made statements before the Fenerbahçe derby to be played in the 31st week of the Süper Lig, criticizing those who appointed referee Yasin Kol for the match.
''THEY ARE PLAYING WITH OUR NERVES''
Speaking about Yasin Kol, who was appointed to the Fenerbahçe derby, the president of the yellow-reds said, "I want you to fully understand what we struggle with every day. Look at the referee appointment made for our match. They are playing with our nerves by appointing a referee who doesn't have a FIFA badge, whose performance this season and demeanor on the field are controversial, to this match. It's impossible to understand what they aim for by appointing a referee questioned by all clubs in Turkey to one of the few notable derbies in the world."
''TURKEY QUESTIONS, WE ALSO QUESTION''
Continuing his remarks, Dursun Özbek said, "There is a point where Turkish football public opinion unites. This referee is not suitable for this derby. He doesn't have a FIFA badge. While other FIFA-badged referees are available, Turkey questions the appointment of this referee, and we do too. Whatever the aim, whatever the goals, it will have zero effect on our objective. Don't think this is happening for the first time. If you recall the championship period over the last 3 years, we encountered many similar incidents and overcame all of them. Don't treat this as too abnormal. Galatasaray, especially in football, has reached a level where many circles are uncomfortable with this rise. We have overcome all such behaviors, all attacks on Galatasaray. We continue the struggle we have been waging for 3 years today. They are all similar. This year is no different from previous years. The successes we have achieved are envied. This envy also makes our club a target. No matter what we do, this situation will continue to increase. Next year will be a more difficult year than this one."
''WE EARNED 60 MILLION EUROS FROM UEFA''
Dursun Özbek, stating that they earned 89 million Euros from sponsorship, advertising, and naming rights revenues in the last 12 months, continued as follows: "The success of our football team has significantly increased the amount of sponsorship revenue. Our jersey sponsorship revenues rose to 38 million Euros. With our performance in the Champions League, we earned 60 million Euros from UEFA. Thanks to the increase in all revenue items, a gross profitability of 30 million Euros - 1.5 million TL was achieved in the last 9 months. In the last 9 months, Galatasaray is the only team in the Süper Lig to achieve gross profit. We made a profit of 15 million Euros - 734 million TL in 9 months. One of the factors affecting profitability is player sales. We currently have 6-7 players with a market value above 20 million Euros. During this investment period, unless suitable conditions arise, we do not plan to sell players from this valuable squad. We believe this squad will lead to greater successes and higher revenues. As of February 28, 2026, Sportif AŞ's liability is 25.7 billion TL, and our assets are 41.6 billion TL."