HARSH WORDS FROM BURUK: "I WISH VAR CAME TO THE STADIUM"

"I will start by congratulating my opponent; these words have nothing to do with them. Refereeing mistakes that should not happen at the Champions League level changed the game. There is a referee who clearly interfered with the match by missing clear red cards and awarding a non-existent penalty. I wish the VAR referee had come to the stadium. The referee worked against us in every way; we could have won this easily. These opportunities do not come easily in the Champions League. The penalty goal we conceded brought us down mentally. We complain in Turkey, but the Norwegian referee's decisions today brought our team down."

Following Galatasaray's 3-1 away defeat to Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League, manager Okan Buruk made scorching remarks targeting the match officials. Despite taking the lead in Portugal, the Yellow-Reds left empty-handed, and the experienced coach squarely blamed the Norwegian referee for the outcome. Stating that the decisions consistently favored the opponent and that an unjust penalty broke his team's resistance, Buruk emphasized that such glaring errors are unacceptable in Europe's top-tier competition. Pointing out that Galatasaray dominated possession and played comfortably, the successful manager explained that the scandalous penalty awarded at 1-1 caused a mental collapse within the squad. Referring to a similar situation in the Frankfurt match, he underlined the need for his team to maintain higher self-confidence during such breaking points. Buruk's harsh and direct criticism of the refereeing not only overshadowed the final score but also sparked a major debate about the standards of justice in the Champions League.

GÖRSEL: NTV