Here is Turkey’s Most Curious Referee

The excitement for the 11th week of the Trendyol Super League is about to begin. In this critical week, Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce will clash at Papara Park. The referee assigned to this big match, Oguzhan Cakir, has sparked interest among football fans. Our writer Murat Fevzi Tanirli has penned an insightful article about Cakir.

Trabzonspor, aiming to stabilize its inconsistent performance, will face Fenerbahce, which is looking to continue its pursuit of the top spot in Week 11 of the Trendyol Super League.

Referee assignments were made ahead of the match, which will be played on Sunday at 19:00, and Oguzhan Cakir was assigned to officiate this big game. Our writer Murat Fevzi Tanirli took a closer look at the referee who has piqued the curiosity of football fans.

Here’s Tanirli’s assessment:

At just 25 years old, Oguzhan Cakir works as a swimming coach at the Balikesir Altieylul Municipality. Cakir is a versatile athlete who has represented Turkey’s national team in triathlon, which includes running, swimming, and cycling. This season, he has officiated in 6 matches, issuing 19 yellow cards and no red cards. In 2 of these matches, the home team won, while in 2 others, the away team emerged victorious.

Following Arda Kardesler’s performance in the Galatasaray-Besiktas derby, the community is once again in turmoil. The clubs’ insincere displays of sportsmanship quickly came to an end. Are we unfamiliar with these scenes? Of course not. We’ve been hearing the same stories for 30 years. Refereeing has been turned into a populist monster by mindsets lacking management skills, poisoning the public. Every new TFF administration has been pressured to solve the “referee problem,” with the misguided belief that changing the MHK (Central Referee Committee) would fix everything. Since 2000, 21 MHKs have come and gone, spiraling out of control.

High Potential but Inexperienced

After a tumultuous week, a relatively inexperienced name was unexpectedly assigned to one of the league’s toughest matches: Trabzonspor vs. Fenerbahce. Appointing a referee with only 12 Super League games to his name to a match likely to be challenging both on and off the field is a huge risk. As a young referee, Cakir has shown a rather average performance thus far, though he holds potential for improvement as he gains experience and learns from his mistakes. His appointment to such a high-stakes match could prove problematic for his future. It’s evident that he still needs to build experience in areas like game management, disciplinary actions, and foul evaluations.

Will He Be Brave or Turn a Blind Eye?

Oguzhan Cakir had his first big team experience in the Galatasaray-Kasimpasa (3-3) match. His decision to add only 6 minutes of extra time despite a 9-minute VAR delay was controversial. In short, any potential mistakes he makes will be remembered throughout his career, from his youthful days to the age of 45, possibly branding him as “unwanted.” Can anyone guarantee that the many incidents and security issues experienced during last season’s match won’t recur? In the event of similar situations, what advice did TFF and MHK give to their young referee? Will he be advised to ignore issues to get through the game, or will they support him if he decides to halt the game? Why are we placing such a burden on a 25-year-old when we have such a poor record in training and mentoring referees? TFF President Ibrahim Hacisosmanoglu hopefully consulted with the clubs and took additional security measures. Let’s not “kill” another referee in the making.

His Father, Hidayet Cakir, Was an Amateur Referee

Oguzhan Cakir, who has no relation to Cuneyt Cakir, was born in Balikesir in 1998 and graduated from the School of Physical Education and Sports (BESYO). He is currently working as a swimming coach at the Altieylul Municipality in Balikesir and is heading into what may be one of the most memorable weekends of his life. The young referee comes from an athletic family and even represented the national team in triathlon alongside his brother. He closely follows UEFA training sessions and has taken English courses in Bournemouth in hopes of officiating on the European stage someday. Since the 2020-21 season, he has officiated 30 matches in the 1st League. His father, Hidayet Cakir, was also an amateur referee. It’s clear that he was not among those “fathers” on referee Ferhat Gundogdu’s “blacklist,” or we’d have lost Kursat Filiz and Bugra Taskinsoy as well, wouldn’t we?

HOPEFULLY, HE WILL MANAGE WELL AND NOT BE “EXECUTED” BY MHK

While in another country this might be considered an ordinary match, dubbed a derby, in Turkey we are faced with a high-stakes encounter that could impact large communities, politics, the sports public, and even the streets. On one side, there’s Fenerbahce, a championship contender with the potential to further widen the point gap with the top, amidst rumors of “pulling the team off the field at the slightest incident.” On the other side is Trabzonspor, coming off a terrible loss to Goztepe, with only 2 wins in 9 matches, and sitting just 3 points above the relegation zone. Oguzhan Cakir will step onto the field for a match that requires more than just luck as a referee. Hopefully, he’ll officiate a fair 90 minutes without being “executed” by an MHK under the influence of the clubs.

Let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment. In our country, the list of FIFA badge candidates is as volatile as the stock market, subject to instant changes based on club requests and match outcomes. Who knows, maybe Cakir has been nominated as a FIFA candidate, with the thought, “Since we’ve nominated him, let’s see him officiate.”