Fenerbahçe has once again dropped points in the Turkish Süper Lig, reducing their hopes of winning the league against their long-time rivals Galatasaray. With 11 points from 5 matches, Fenerbahçe sits second, while Galatasaray has won all 15 points from 5 games, conceding only one goal so far.
Fenerbahçe first dropped points during their opening league match against Göztepe, which ended in a 0-0 draw, with Fenerbahçe failing to register a single shot on target. Their second draw came recently in a postponed match played on September 18th. The match had been postponed due to Fenerbahçe’s UEFA Champions League qualifier against Feyenoord. The rescheduled match ended in a 2-2 draw, but it was surrounded by numerous controversies. According to pundits, decisions favoring both Fenerbahçe and Alanyaspor were questionable, with the referee making several mistakes.
Alanyaspor took an early lead in the 18th minute. Fenerbahçe struggled to respond even after a controversial penalty was awarded by referee Aydın in the 55th minute, following a handball by an Alanyaspor defender off a shot from Fred. The decision was seen as controversial because the defender’s hand was in a natural position. Anderson Talisca missed the penalty and was substituted just a few minutes later.
Eventually, Nelson Semedo scored in the 72nd minute, with El Neysri equalizing four minutes later, though some fans contested that there was a foul in the build-up to his goal. The match later ended in a draw after Fenerbahçe goalkeeper İrfan Can Eğribayat failed to properly dive for a header in the box. Another controversial moment involved a potential penalty for a handball by Alanyaspor, which the referee waved away before ending the match.
The draw apparently angered Fenerbahçe fans, who are discontent with not winning the Turkish league title for 11 years, making this the 12th consecutive year without a championship. Fans have also watched their rivals win three consecutive titles and now aim for a fourth, with Galatasaray remaining the only Turkish team with 25 championships.
Fans expressed their frustration with the reign of President Ali Koç, calling for his resignation after the match and booing some of the players. In response, President Koç, aiming to win the forthcoming election, criticized referee Aydın for failing to award the handball penalty and stated that he would visit the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to contest the points, which he described as “always stolen from Fenerbahçe.”