Turkish giants Galatasaray have accused their country’s top-flight officials of having ‘evil inside’ them in a scathing assessment on social media.
Galatasaray made the bold declaration on Sunday during their 3-0 win over bitter rivals Fenerbahce, who finished the match with 10 men, in the Istanbul derby.
In a top of the table clash, the victory moved Gala seven points clear of their foes with seven games remaining in the Turkish Super Lig.
But despite claiming victory, Galatasaray were left furious at the standard of officiating at their Rams Park.
While leading 1-0 at half-time, they wrote on X: ‘Despite these referees, we’re still leading 1-0.
‘We see what you’re doing, your plans, the evil inside you. Don’t let the score distract you from the fact that TWO clear penalties for Galatasaray have been ignored by the referee and the VAR room in the first half.’
Galatasaray took to X on Sunday to accuse Turkish officials of having ‘evil inside them’
Gala were unhappy with the perfomance of referee Yasin Kol during their win vs Fenerbahce
The in-game criticism came days after Galatasaray said it was suspending relations with the Turkish Football Federation in a dispute about picking referees for games.
Sunday’s encounter saw referee Yasin Kol show a combined 11 yellow cards to both teams.
Gala, who are closing in on a fourth-straight Turkish title, took the lead in the 40th minute through Victor Osimhen – with Fener having earlier missed a penalty.
The hosts doubled their lead midway through the second half when Baris Alper Yilmaz scored a penalty.
Former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira completed the scoreline on 83 minutes.
Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson, who joined from Manchester City last September, was sent off when the score was 1-0.
Complaints about referees and their integrity are common in the Turkish Super Lig.
Jose Mourinho, as Fenerbahce coach last season, was banned for four games by the federation for criticising match officials.
