19.02.2025 14:10
The President of the Turkish Football Federation, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, announced that a foreign referee will officiate the derby match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, which will be played on Monday evening, despite his statement last year that "as long as I am here, no foreign referees will come." This announcement has sparked discussions.
On November 22, 2024, TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, who stated during a live broadcast that "As long as I am here, no foreign referees will come," announced that a foreign referee will officiate the derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe after a year has passed.
"WE MADE THIS DECISION TO PREVENT DISCUSSIONS"
The TFF President stated, "Last night, we had a long conversation with the referees. From the very beginning, we trust our own referees, but to prevent discussions, the referee for this match will be a foreign one."
WHAT DID HACIOSMANOĞLU SAY?
Hacıosmanoğlu, in a program he attended months ago, said, "As long as I am here, no foreign referees will come to this country. There was a referee seminar today. We had the necessary discussions with our colleagues. We said what we needed to say. This foreign issue should disturb the referees the most. When we look, there are young, bright referees. As long as I am here, no foreign referees will come. Let me say it again; as long as I am here, no foreign referees will come. It is the natural right of clubs to request foreign referees. It was also an application made last season. Everyone believes in our sincerity. We are trying to fix some things."