During the mid-season break, approximately 2,000 teams opt for Antalya as their training destination.
Nestled in the Belek region, hotels with facilities equivalent to 400 football fields welcome these teams from European and CIS countries between December and April, when the leagues are on pause.
However, the decision to employ Russian referees in friendly matches has caused controversy among Turkish referees this year.
Every year, nearly 2,000 teams from Europe and the CIS countries come to Antalya for winter camps during the break in their leagues.
These teams also engage in friendly matches during their camps.
While these matches have traditionally been officiated by former professional athletes who have become amateur camp tourism referees in the region, the presence of professional referees from CIS countries, especially Russia, has caused a crisis this year.
Friendlies involving teams such as Dinamo Moscow, FK Khimki, FC Turan, Wista Krakow, Sochi, PFK Slaviya Sofiya, MKS Polonia Warszawa and FC Gloria Buzau, who are currently in Antalya for their training camps, have been officiated by Russian referees.
Former football player Bahadır Albayrak, who has been refereeing the friendly matches played by teams coming to the camp from abroad for over 10 years, stated that nearly 2,000 foreign teams come to Antalya every year during the winter league break.
Albayrak explained that there are nearly 400 football fields available for the training and matches of these teams, which stay in hotels in the region, with teams coming from European countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Finland or Islamic countries from December to mid-March.
Due to the intensity and lack of referees in the Turkish leagues during the winter camps of these teams, the Turkish Football Federation has not been able to send referees.
As a result, local referees, including Albayrak, have been officiating these matches, typically receiving around 100 euros ($109) per game.
However, this year, agencies bringing in these teams have opted to bring in referees from many countries abroad, who are also officiating matches for 100 euros.
Bahadır Albayrak highlighted that the number of matches a referee officiates during the period between December and March is over 50-60.
He expressed concern over the trend of agencies bringing in federation referees from other countries, which has led to Turkish referees being sidelined.
Albayrak emphasized the need for action to address the issue, as Turkish referees are being victimized.
