Aziz Yıldırım calls for Turkish leagues to be suspended for a year after derby defeat

Aziz Yıldırım delivered a furious response after Fenerbahçe's 2-1 home defeat to Beşiktaş, saying the club had repeatedly been denied penalties during the opening four weeks of the Turkish league season.

Fenerbahçe's president listed disputed incidents from matches against Gençlerbirliği, Konyaspor and Samsunspor before turning to the derby. He said two penalties had again gone unawarded, including one in which a defender handled the ball and another involving Kerem. "We did not play well, I accept that, but the referee must call what he sees," Yıldırım said.

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We did not play well, I accept that, but the referee must call what he sees.

He then issued his most dramatic warning: "If necessary, let the Turkish leagues not be played for one year." Yıldırım said the head of the Central Referee Board had to find a solution and criticized the continuation of a referee's career after a club president had assaulted him. He added that Turkish football was being damaged.

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If necessary, let the Turkish leagues not be played for one year.

Yıldırım said the disputed penalties could have changed the result. Had they been awarded, he said, the match might have ended 2-2. He called for fairness, arguing that teams should lose when they play badly but should be able to win when they perform well.

He said he would go to the federation to meet its president and questioned the value of the video assistant referee system if key incidents were still missed. He also criticized some former referees working as commentators, accusing them of presenting misleading interpretations. Despite his complaints, Yıldırım said Fenerbahçe's squad was good and needed to work harder.

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We want justice. If we cannot play, let us lose, but if we play well, let us win.