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Galatasaray has submitted a formal complaint to UEFA regarding the performance of Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, who officiated the club’s Champions League group-stage defeat against Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise.
The club announced that it had taken the matter to UEFA, stating that it had filed an official complaint about Sanchez Martinez following the fifth week of the competition. The match ended 1–0 in favor of the Belgian side in Istanbul.
Manager Okan Buruk underlined after the match that the referee’s decisions had a direct impact on the outcome. He pointed out that a Union Saint-Gilloise player, Promise David, should have been given a red card and later went on to score the only goal of the night.
Buruk added that the referee stopped the game several times without any apparent injury-related danger, noting, “The Spanish referee managed a very bad match. We will review our own mistakes, but it must be said that he made a very critical and major error. I hope UEFA will penalize such a big mistake.”
Galatasaray finished the game with ten players after young defender Arda Unyay received a red card, adding to the team’s frustrations as they lost at home.
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