Besiktas manager Sergen Yalcin criticized match officials for failing to send off Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen during Saturday’s Istanbul derby defeat to reigning Super Lig champions Galatasaray, Footynaija.com reports.
Osimhen’s 39th minute header proved to be the decisive goal of the game as Galatasaray brought an end to Besiktas’ impressive run of four consecutive wins across all competitions and maintained a firm grip on top spot in the Super Lig.
Galatasaray’s Leroy Sane saw red just after the hour mark, giving Besiktas a one-man advantage for the latter stages of the game. Despite this, Yalcin voiced his dissatisfaction with the performance of the match officials after the game.
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The Black Eagles boss believes Sane should’ve been dismissed way earlier in the game and also accused the referee of deliberately turning a blind eye to a second bookable offense committed by Osimhen.
“There’s another side to this. Actually, we need to talk about that. You know, football has rules. There are yellow cards and red cards. These cards are put in the referees’ pockets. They’ve put a referee in the VAR room. He tells the VAR referee, “If you see something, intervene,” Yalcın said in quotes revealed by Besiktas’ official website.
“The main referee might not see it, but you intervene. That’s why he’s sitting there. Now, Sane should have been sent off in the 20th minute. Osimhen should have been sent off with a second yellow card, that’s for sure. So how is this game going to be played?
“In Trabzon, you send Bilal off in the 30th minute. You send Orkun off in the 20th minute in the Fenerbahçe match, but you can’t do it here. How is this going to work? How is this game going to be played? I’m very curious. In my opinion, football has become too political.”
Yalcin’s frustrations are understandable given the ramifications of his side’s latest defeat. Besiktas remain fourth place but now risk falling farther behind in the race for European qualification with third placed Trabzonspor holding a five point gap and a game in hand.
