Super League and First League Referee and Observer Classifications have been redefined by the Turkish federation (TFF). The Central Refereeing Committee has completed the first stage of restructuring the Turkish refereeing and has determined the referees and observers that will be used in the Super League and First League for the remainder of the current season. The following referees are no longer on the list: Cuneyt Cakir,
Ali Palabiyik, Abdulkadir Bitigen,
Firat Aydinus, Bahattin Şimşek, Burak Şeker, Suat Arslanboğa, Hüseyin Göçek,
Mert Güzenge, Tugay Numanoğlu, Alper Ulusoy, Halis Özkahya. (
Source: TFF)
The Turkish Football Federation has been under pressure from clubs for a long time. Clubs demanded that some referees not be assigned, and even gave their names behind closed doors. This suggestion was brought to Serdar Tatli, the previous Chairman of the Central Refereeing Committee, and he was asked not to assign some referees. Tatli did not accept that and resigned. Ferhat Gündoğdu, the new president of MHK, changed the classification criteria for referees after he took office. Thus, the way to evaluate referee performances during the season was opened about 1.5-2 months ago. The new list of MHK was presented to the TFF Board of Directors the previous day. This list was unanimously accepted by the board of directors. TFF sources stated that this operation is a renewal and rejuvenation operation. The development that raises the question "Is there a doubt about the referees removed?" is the timing of the operation. Why was this decision taken 10 weeks before the end of the league? Well, if this decision had been taken at the end of the season, the effect would not have been that big. The most striking aspect of the Central Referees Committee decision was that the referees who will not referee matches on the field were not assigned even in the VAR room. This decision means that these names, who had been refereeing for many years, are completely removed from football. Among the 13 referees, MHK only approved Özgür Yankaya as a VAR. The decision of MHK - "You cannot manage a match in the Super League" - made it difficult for Çakir to take part in the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar. The decision on this matter belongs to FIFA, but if a referee who is not assigned any matches in his own league will be selected for the World Cup will be discussed a lot. If Çakir goes to Qatar, he will go down in history as the only Turkish referee who attended three consecutive World Cups. (
Source: Hurriyet)