Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk publicly criticised the match referee following his side’s 3-1 defeat to Sporting Clube de Portugal in the UEFA Champions League, arguing that decisive officiating calls altered the outcome of the contest.
Okan Buruk delivered the remarks after the match at the Estádio José Alvalade, where Galatasaray initially took control before surrendering the lead in a dramatic second half turnaround by the Portuguese champions.
Also read: Clerics rally behind Tinubu ahead of 2027 election
The Turkish side had made a confident start, dictating possession and creating the clearer chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Reflecting on the performance, Okan Buruk said, “We actually played a very comfortable first half. Our opponents could not get anywhere near our goal.
The chances we created, our possession, the way we pinned them back in their own half, everything was going very well.”
Despite that early dominance, Sporting found an equaliser from one of their limited attacking moves, shifting the momentum of the match.
The pivotal moment arrived shortly after the restart when a penalty was awarded to Sporting following a VAR review, with experienced striker Luis Suárez converting to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Okan Buruk Criticises Referee decisions particularly in relation to that call, describing it as unacceptable at elite level. “Of course, at this level, to give a penalty like that in the Champions League is simply not acceptable,” Okan Buruk said.
The Galatasaray manager also pointed to what he described as a missed red card incident earlier in the game, insisting that the combination of decisions had a direct and powerful influence on the final scoreline.
“Today, the red card he failed to give in the first half and the penalty he awarded when there was no penalty directly affected the score,” Okan Buruk said.
Beyond the technical aspects, Okan Buruk highlighted the psychological impact on his players, noting that the controversial penalty appeared to disrupt the team’s composure.
According to Okan Buruk, the squad’s performance level dropped after falling behind, allowing Sporting to capitalise and extend their advantage through Rodrigo Zalazar.
The Norwegian referee at the centre of the criticism had previously officiated a match involving Galatasaray in Istanbul, a detail Okan Buruk referenced while questioning consistency in officiating standards across competitions.
“We complain about refereeing in Turkey, do we not? Today we saw the Norwegian referee here as well. We had already had an experience with him in Istanbul before,” he said.
Sporting Clube de Portugal ultimately secured all three points, marking a strong start to their Champions League campaign and underlining their resilience after going behind early in the match.
In broader context, debates around VAR and refereeing consistency have remained a recurring theme in European football, with managers and players increasingly vocal about the interpretation of key decisions in high stakes fixtures.
Also read: Clerics rally behind Tinubu ahead of 2027 election
While Galatasaray will look to regroup ahead of their next group stage encounter, the post match reaction from Okan Buruk ensures that the officiating in Lisbon will remain a talking point in the competition’s early rounds.
