Rising Turkish football star Arda Güler found himself at the receiving end of an onslaught of criticism following Fenerbahçe's hapless display in last week's derby against Beşiktaş.
Although Güler shone as a star during the game, which was marked by high emotions and several contentious calls, of particular interest was the penalty awarded to him in the 40th minute.
He was apparently brought down inside the Black Eagles' penalty box by defender Onur Bulut, and the match referee, Halil Umut Meler pointed to the penalty spot.
This decision sparked a heated debate and caused a stir on social media as some camera angles showed otherwise.
Beşiktaş's right-back, Onur Bulut, vehemently protested the decision, arguing that he had not made any contact with Arda Güler.
This led to a heated exchange of words between the 18-year-old star and Onur Bulut, with Cenk Tosun, an experienced football player, eventually stepping in to diffuse the situation.
Despite the controversy surrounding the incident, Arda remained composed and acknowledged that the decision was made by the referee and not him.
Following the match, Cenk Tosun expressed his belief that Arda did not intentionally dive, although there was contact between the two players, and he felt that Arda had given up before the contact was made.
The controversy surrounding the incident captured the attention of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Mehmet Büyükekşi, who defended the decision to appoint Halil Umut Meler as the match's main official.
Büyükekşi stated that the referees who officiated other matches during the week were appointed by an algorithm, whereas the derby match referee was manually appointed, in response to a request made by the referee’s committee.
However, what further fueled the situation were the statements made by the central referee committee chairperson, Lale Orta.
Orta contended that the penalty call was wrong and that it should have been corrected by VAR.
Speaking on beIN Sports, Orta said: "We definitely cannot talk about a penalty here. I don't think they will call this position a penalty anywhere in the world. It is a wrong decision on the field. It is clear that this needs to be corrected by VAR. VAR was not corrected by making a wrong decision and was not corrected by intervening. Two wrong decisions in a row, the wrong result came out."
On social media, particularly Twitter, many Beşiktaş fans expressed their displeasure at what they perceived as diving by Arda Güler and the referee's decision, tarnishing Güler's image in the Beşiktaş camp.
Nonetheless, considering Güler's potential not just as a Yellow Canary but his status as a Turkish international, the negativity should be avoided, especially since the penalty call did not affect the match's outcome.
In summary, the Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş match was a memorable spectacle that had a lasting impact on the football community.
Despite the contentious decisions made during the game, Arda Güler's talent and composure continue to impress many.
