- Fenerbahce and Galatasaray played a goalless draw in a tense and controversial Istanbul derby
- Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk slammed the foreign referee for not handling the match well
- Victor Osimhen does not agree with his head coach and shared a different opinion of the referee
Victor Osimhen disagreed with Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk after their 0-0 draw against Fenerbahce in the Istanbul derby at the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex.
The Turkish giants played an intense match with an uneasy atmosphere due to the rivalry between the two sides and the buildup leading to the match.
The derby did not live up to expectations on that pitch but the drama during and after the match are the talking points, particularly about the officiating.
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Buruk slams Slovenian referee
The Turkish Football Federation hired Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, who officiated the 2024 UEFA Champions League final to oversee the match at the request of both teams.
Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk was furious with the officiating and claimed Turkish referees would have been better.
“We saw how badly a referee who had officiated the Champions League performed and how his hands were shaking. I saw him put the whistle to his mouth three times when nothing was happening. He gave very bad fouls. He stopped the game at very bad moments,” he said as quoted by GS TV.
Jose Mourinho applauds Vincic
Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho, who had complained about the level of officiating in Turkish football, applauded the Slovenian
“I congratulate the referee. He really coped well in this difficult environment that we can call a jungle. He performed very well,” he said as quoted by Standard UK.
"After the match, I went to the referee's room. I said to Slavko Vincic, 'Thank you for coming here and refereeing this big match'. The Turkish referee was there too. Then I turned to him and said, 'If a Turkish referee had refereed this match, it would have been a disaster'.”
Victor Osimhen agrees with Mourinho
Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen does not share the sentiment of his coach Buruk but agrees with rival manager Mourinho that the official handled the match well.
“I think he was fair, he is a good referee, we all know him, and he controlled the game very well,” he said in the mixed zone.
His comments disagree with what his manager said and put the statement coming out of the champions camp in a confused state.
All three were booked in the first half, the striker was booked for a foul in the 38th minute, while both managers were booked during an altercation on the touchline early in the match.
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Pundit shares Osimhen's secret
Legit.ng previously reported that a Turkish pundit explained how to stop Osimhen ahead of the Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce last night.
Former Besiktas star Tumer Metin claimed Mourinho should assign a player to man-mark the Super Eagles star even if he is going to drink water on the sidelines.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng
