03.05.2026 01:01
Trabzonspor head coach Fatih Tekke said that after the red card, he wanted chaos for the first time in his coaching career, and that they got 1 point from it. Speaking about the championship, the experienced coach said, 'What I mean is this; could we have been champions? It seems like we could have been. You see what we go through, I'm talking about referee management. But with these referees, it's impossible.'
In the 32nd week of the Trendyol Super League, Trabzonspor drew 1-1 with Göztepe at home. After the match, Head Coach Fatih Tekke made evaluations at the press conference. Tekke stated that they fell below the expected level in the first half in terms of both gameplay and individual performance, and said that the team showed a reaction in the second half.
"WE WERE DOWN TO 10 MEN BUT DIDN'T GIVE AWAY A POSITION"
Speaking about the team's fighting spirit after the red card, Tekke said, "After the red card, perhaps for the first time in my coaching career, I wanted 'chaos'. And it resulted in 1 point. Against a dynamic team like Göztepe, we can say we almost didn't give away a position with 10 men. In this sense, the effort my players put in was very valuable. I see the 1 point as the glass half full."
"WE'RE CHASING SECOND PLACE"
Referring to the league goals, Tekke said, "We're chasing second place, but we've secured third. This picture is very positive on one hand. Under all these conditions, what this squad has done is very valuable. We have a match against Beşiktaş ahead and a semi-final game against Gençlerbirliği. We have deficiencies, and we're going through a tough process."
"WE COULD HAVE BEEN CHAMPIONS, BUT WITH THESE REFEREES..."
Fatih Tekke made a statement: "We experienced shortcomings throughout the season. We talked, we said it. Sometimes we had issues in midfield. What I need to say specifically for this season is that we received performances below our expectations from the forward line, especially from some positions. There are conditions and realistic situations; it's not easy. We could have finished this season in a better place. This gave hope to our fans again. This is very important. They criticize with anger; that's not important. What I mean is this: Could we have been champions? It seems we could have. You see the things we've experienced, I'm talking about referee management. But it's impossible with these referees. We did a very, very good job this season. Now we will rest until the Beşiktaş match, but the first target is to get past the semi-final."
"RESTRUCTURING GAVE HOPE"
Giving important messages about the team's future, Tekke said, "It was very important for a squad heading towards restructuring to give people hope and reach the point of nurturing that hope. We need to evaluate this well and take the right steps. I believe we have given a lot to the football public."
"I AM DISTURBED BY THE REFEREE DECISIONS"
Making evaluations about refereeing, Tekke stated that he did not want to directly criticize but was disturbed by what happened, saying, "They can't make these kinds of decisions in other stadiums, but they make them here. If there were an atmosphere that pushed referees to avoid making mistakes, perhaps these errors wouldn't happen. Why is VAR there then? They say Pina made a move on the referee. Watch, there are 50 of them elsewhere. No Pina. No Mustafa. What are we going to play in the Beşiktaş match? The fourth official says stay calm; of course, let's stay calm, but we are the ones who can't sleep at night."
"I DON'T ACCEPT THIRD PLACE"
Emphasizing that their goals are always higher, Tekke said, "Do I accept third place? I haven't even accepted second place in my life. I want to win. That's not how the game works; that's not how life works. When I tell the truth, everyone says something."