Osimhen’s Galatasaray accused of cheating again as match-fixing allegations rage on

Galatasaray’s narrow 1-0 victory over Konyaspor in the 21st week of the Turkish Super Lig has reignited heated accusations of favouritism and match-fixing.

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Despite Victor Osimhen’s decisive penalty sealing the win for the league leaders, the match was marred by controversial refereeing decisions, leaving Konyaspor officials and fans crying foul.

Following the controversial match, Konyaspor’s Head Coach Recep Ucar and President Omer Korkmaz were vocal in their criticism of referee Halil Umut Meler, accusing him of bias toward Galatasaray.

Ucar expressed frustration over Meler’s officiating, particularly the decision to award Galatasaray a 22nd-minute penalty following a foul on Osimhen.

“We tried to play our game, but the referee’s decisions were frustrating,” Ucar declared, while also arguing that Galatasaray players, including Lucas Torreira, escaped punishment for fouls that warranted yellow or red cards.

Konyaspor’s official social media account further fuelled the controversy by sharing a video highlighting alleged referee errors, captioned, “Once again, someone else benefitted.”

The criticism extended beyond Konyaspor, with sporting commentator Ahmet Çakar lambasting Meler’s performance. “The referee was very poor. It was as though he had forgotten how to referee,” Çakar remarked, citing multiple instances where decisions favoured Galatasaray.

This match is not the first time Galatasaray has faced accusations of unfair advantages as they continue to work their way to back-to-back Super Lig titles.

Fenerbahce President Ali Koc and coach Jose Mourinho previously accused the league leaders of benefitting from biased officiating.

The win over Konyaspor marked Galatasaray’s eighth penalty that the league leaders had been awarded this season, three more than the next team, with five of them awarded in the last 10 matches, fuelling further speculation.

The situation is made more suspicious by questions about the character of referee Halil Umut Meler, whose decisions in a Saudi Pro League match between Al Hilal and Al Shabab were similarly criticised, leading to his suspension from officiating in Saudi Arabia.