Turkish side Besiktas issued a remarkable statement on Sunday, accusing the officials involved in their 1-0 loss to Alanyaspor of producing a performance that “has taken its place in history as a document of shame for Turkish refereeing”.
Besiktas suffered a surprise away defeat after Nuno Lima scored in the 73rd minute, despite the Istanbul club controlling much of the game. They recorded 15 attempts compared with Alanyaspor’s five and enjoyed most of the possession.
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Following the match, Besiktas strongly criticised referee Adnan Deniz Kayatepe and VAR official Bulent Birincioglu, insisting they never want the “malicious” officials to take charge of their games “ever again”.
One of the major complaints involved an incident Besiktas believed was a “slap” on Leandro Trossard, who joined the club from Arsenal during the summer. The officials took no action, while South Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu also had a goal ruled out.
Besiktas accompanied their statement with a video featuring four controversial incidents, including two challenges involving striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Pozisyonlar farklı, sezonlar farklı, isimler farklı, kararlar hep aynı! pic.twitter.com/0HsggxkWC2
— Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) August 23, 2026
The video carried the caption: “Positions are different, seasons are different, names are different, decisions are always the same!”
In a post shared on X, the club said: “The management displayed by the referees in our match against Corendon Alanyaspor has taken its place in history as a document of shame for Turkish refereeing.
“Adnan Deniz Kayatepe, the prince of the Central Referee Committee president whose scandalous decisions in last year’s Ziraat Turkish Cup semi-final still linger fresh in memories, has added yet another disgraceful performance to his record, as if to say, “Where did we leave off?”
“The opposing player slapped Trossard right in front of the world’s eyes. Referee Adnan Deniz Kayatepe failed to see the incident. Bülent Birincioğlu in the VAR room, meanwhile, remained silent.
“Oh (Hyeon-gyu) broke free from his opponent in a tussle and scored a goal. Because the opposing player dramatically threw himself to the ground, Adnan Deniz Kayatepe disallowed our goal.
“Vlahovic was grabbed by the collar and brought down while trying to enter the penalty area. Referee Kayatepe once again turned a blind eye to what happened.
“We do not want to see malicious referees like Adnan Deniz Kayatepe and Bülent Birincioğlu in our matches ever again.
“We seek neither advantages nor privileges. We only demand fair and equal officiating. We will continue our rightful struggle with determination until this unjust system changes.”
Former Premier League referee Anthony Taylor was appointed director of elite refereeing at the Turkish Football Federation earlier this month.
His arrival followed a five-year investigation which revealed that 371 of Turkey’s 571 match officials had betting accounts.
