The head of Beşiktaş’s basketball department, Özkan Arseven, made outspoken statements after his team’s 94–76 defeat to Fenerbahçe Beko in the first game of the Turkish League final series.
A Complete Slide Into Hooliganism
Immediately after the game Arseven addressed reporters:
“We at Beşiktaş do not accept the behavior shown by Fenerbahçe’s basketball official Sertaç Komşuoğlu, who fully sided with the hooligan fans in the stands. In our home games we will show him what true hospitality is. We categorically oppose any insults or acts of hooliganism coming from the stands. Unpleasant scenes took place here today — the cameras caught everything.”
The Demand to “Hang Up the Whistle”
Arseven stressed in particular that, in the club’s view, chief referee Ener Yılmaz should retire from the profession:
“The scandalous officiating showed just how hostile this referee is toward Beşiktaş. Three times our coach requested a review (challenge) and three times he was proven right, yet Yılmaz still allowed himself to eject our coach. His decisions directly influenced the outcome of the game. We have repeatedly asked the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF): how can such a referee be appointed to our matches? We demand that the TBF stop indulging officials who deprive Beşiktaş of its lawful rights. We expect Ener Yılmaz to hang his whistle on a nail.”
The Refereeing Scandal Must Stop
Concluding his speech, Arseven urged the federation to intervene immediately:
“Today they took the victory from our team. We were mercilessly ‘cut down’ by the whistles and suffered an unfair defeat. Since the start of the season we have been fighting until the last drop of sweat and blood. We do not need favors — we want justice. Everyone has seen what Beşiktaş can do when the officiating is fair. We demand that the TBF put an end to this refereeing lawlessness.”
Sertaç Komşuoğlu’s Response
Fenerbahçe board member Sertaç Komşuoğlu responded to Arseven on social media:
“Complaining about bad chants?
We win or lose our games on the court.
We provoke no one — we focus on our job.
We do not injure opposing players, we do not insult opponents throughout the match.
We simply play and fight to the end.
And most importantly — we know that ‘the Almighty sees everything.’”
Beşiktaş’s Official Statement
“The court and stands of Ülker Sports and Events Hall today became the stage for scandals that will go down in the history of Turkish basketball as a black stain.
Referee Ener Yılmaz, who has long displayed hostility toward our club and is alien to the very concept of justice, expelled our head coach Dušan Alimpijević in the first half of the game according to a pre-prepared scenario. The coach used his challenge right three times and was right three times — yet this did not prevent the referee from sending him off, once again proving that he is a disgrace to the officiating corps.
Moreover, immediately after this outrageous decision, Yılmaz exceeded his authority by threatening to end the game early if our coach did not leave the court at once.
We call on the Turkish Basketball Federation to take action and remove a man whose enmity toward Beşiktaş is known throughout the country.
The second scandal took place in the stands.
Fenerbahçe board member Sertaç Komşuoğlu, throughout the game, not only failed to pacify the fans who hurled obscenities at our players and executives — words unfit for publication — but behaved in the opposite manner, revealing his true face.
We strongly condemn Komşuoğlu, who shows extreme unscrupulousness, deeming any means acceptable for victory.
Beşiktaş JK states:
— We do not want to see the disgrace of Turkish basketball, Ener Yılmaz, on the courts.
— We invite Sertaç Komşuoğlu to the games of the series in our arena so that he can learn what it means to host guests properly.”
Context and Prospects
The first game of the final series proved extremely tense for the Black-and-Whites: Beşiktaş successfully challenged two plays via the video review system but still lost their head coach. After Alimpijević’s ejection, the team, despite the efforts of Shengelia and Wright, could not regain parity and fell by 18 points.
For Fenerbahçe, led by Turkey national-team star Melih Mahmutoglu and American point guard Scottie Wilbekin, the strong start to the series confirmed their status as favorites. However, after Beşiktaş’s fiery statements, the return games in Istanbul promise to be heated not only on the court but also beyond it.
The Turkish Basketball Federation has not yet commented on the requests for disciplinary measures, but given the public resonance, a reaction may come soon. Supporters of both clubs, having flooded social-media feeds with mutual accusations, are eagerly awaiting the TBF’s decision on referee Yılmaz’s fate and possible sanctions against officials.
What’s Next
The second game of the series will again take place on Fenerbahçe’s court. Regardless of the result, the main question is not only the scoreboard but whether the TBF can restore the sense of justice about which Beşiktaş speaks so loudly. The Black-and-White management hopes that the loud words about ‘hanging up the whistle’ will become reality and that the series will return to their arena with a different refereeing crew and a more decorous atmosphere.
Will Fenerbahçe maintain their advantage and quiet the scandal, or will Beşiktaş turn their anger into the energy of a comeback? We will get the answer in the coming days. One thing is certain: the national championship final has landed at the epicenter of not only sporting but emotional drama, where each side demands its own understanding of justice, and the fans are waiting for an honest battle without an intrusive whistle.
