In the aftermath of a 2-1 defeat to Beşiktaş, Kocaelispor head coach Selçuk İnan stood before the press, his composure barely intact. The match, played in the 7th week of the Trendyol Süper Lig, had been a hard-fought contest, one that İnan initially acknowledged with praise for his players' performance. 'Actually, I haven't calmed down yet since coming here,' he admitted, his voice carrying the weight of frustration. 'As someone who has come from this field, I want to thank my players for such a struggle, for the game.' Yet beneath this acknowledgment of effort lay a deeper current of disappointment that would soon surface.
'I spoke to my players in the dressing room,' he revealed. 'My players gave their rights on the field, but as coaches, we couldn't protect their rights outside.' This admission of failure to defend his team was followed by a direct accusation: 'It's not easy to chase rights with people who are not well-intentioned.' The coach positioned himself as a man caught between expectations of professional decorum and the moral imperative to speak out.
The heart of İnan's critique centered on the match officials, whom he accused of lacking the good faith essential to fair competition. 'I want to express my concern here today about a group of referees who are not well-intentioned,' he stated plainly. 'I want to state that I am disappointed.' This wasn't a moment of heat-of-the-battle complaint but a considered judgment, İnan claiming to have felt the referees' lack of good faith 'from the beginning to the end of the match.' The coach drew a sharp distinction between respectful silence and complicity: 'We are constantly expected to be respectful, calm, and silent from us. I try to do all that without insulting anyone.'
When pressed for technical details about the match, İnan refused to engage, instead redirecting the conversation to the broader issue of refereeing integrity.
İnan framed the issue as one of principle extending far beyond the football pitch. 'This is our country,' he declared.
'This has nothing to do with Beşiktaş,' he emphasized. 'For me, it was a day of very great disappointment and concern.' Nevertheless, 'whatever happens, I congratulate my players for the struggle they gave on the field. I congratulate Beşiktaş. I thank our supporters. I congratulate the Beşiktaş fans for the magnificent atmosphere they created.' This dual acknowledgment—of both the injustice perceived and the quality of the opposition—suggested that İnan's criticism was targeted specifically at the officials, not the game or the opponents.
When pressed for technical details about the match, İnan refused to engage, instead redirecting the conversation to the broader issue of refereeing integrity. 'I apologize to you, but I will not answer any questions about the field technically,' he stated. 'I can answer referee questions. I can say that I felt they were not well-intentioned from the beginning to the end of the match.' In the end, İnan deferred to higher authorities, concluding with: 'The referee... I leave that to you.' With that, the coach made clear that while he would voice his concerns, he would not step beyond his role in the matter, leaving the formal assessment to those with the power to act.