00:00So good afternoon, it has now been one month since I started my role as Director of Elite Refereeing at
00:08the Turkish Football Federation.
00:09Today I want to outline our initial steps and long-term vision to help rebuild trust, build transparency and elevate
00:19standards of Turkish refereeing.
00:21My three-year plan, Vision 2029, aims to modernize all aspects of referee development, but first of all, we have
00:30to address the reality of today.
00:33Every day, conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated accusations are spread about our elite referees here in Turkey.
00:43Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes, people in the media make mistakes.
00:50Mistakes are part of football. They are not evidence of suspicious wrongdoings.
00:56Yet, too often, comments in the media or from club officials are made to create controversy or influence decision in
01:06future matches.
01:07These behaviours undermine the integrity of the game and fuel a toxic culture which benefits nobody.
01:13All stakeholders must reflect on this as we all have a responsibility to protect our game.
01:21At our pre-season seminar, we gave a comprehensive briefing about the laws of the game changes and the UEFA
01:28refereeing guidelines.
01:29Sadly, most of the people who comment on a daily basis and make this unfair criticism chose not to be
01:37in attendance.
01:37They chose not to understand.
01:40Every club also received a visit from a Turkish Football Federation technical instructor before the start of the season.
01:48All our referees and VARs are trained to the UEFA refereeing guidelines.
01:54We use these guidelines to try and help us gain consistency, consistent decision making and fairness across the matches.
02:03These guidelines are the guidelines that are used in all UEFA competitions.
02:09Guidelines which all our Turkish teams that play in UEFA competitions are used to playing in matches that are being
02:16used.
02:17Let me be clear. Public comments need to stop.
02:21They are unprofessional, undermine the integrity of the game and are unfair to the referees involved.
02:26So, one of our first steps to improve transparency will be to introduce a new decision clarification process after the
02:35next international break.
02:37This process will help teams ask questions, aid their understanding of the laws of the game and also the reasoning
02:44for why a decision has been taken.
02:46We have communicated directly with all Super League and League One clubs about this process so it is very clear
02:53so everybody can understand this.
02:55This new process will allow clubs to submit formal enquiries about particular situations during a match and to get guidance
03:04and rationale for the laws of the game and the refereeing guidelines that have been used to make the decision.
03:11I will review the footage and the audio communication from VAR and provide written feedback to the individual clubs involved.
03:19This process should remain confidential. It is also possible for the individual club to attend the federation headquarters here in
03:30Riva for us to discuss further face to face.
03:33This can also help understanding and build positive relationships as we try to improve the integrity of the game and
03:40the working relationship between match officials and the clubs.
03:44These conversations will also remain confidential out of courtesy to both the referee and the clubs involved.
03:51This is a matter of professional standards and professional courtesy.
03:55Additionally, I will publish a monthly review on the Turkish Football Federation website of situations where we need to clarify
04:03the laws of the game and help people understand the UEFA refereeing guidelines.
04:08And now also would like to talk about the VAR project.
04:13It is our intention to continue using foreign VARs on selected matches this season.
04:18This is to help improve decision making using the UEFA refereeing guidelines and also to help us use the experience
04:27of our colleagues from abroad to upskill the Turkish VARs as part of their ongoing development.
04:32But also, let me be clear, there is a historical mistrust of Turkish VARs, but now we also see complaints
04:40involving matches where we use foreign VARs.
04:44This proves one point and one point only.
04:47People just like to complain for the sake of creating controversy and questioning the integrity of match officials.
04:55This has to stop.
04:56So the use of foreign VARs is only a temporary measure.
05:00The longer term vision is to improve trust and confidence in our Turkish VARs.
05:07Using the foreign VARs, however, in the short term helps us develop a consistent approach to the UEFA refereeing guidelines
05:14and also helps us develop the skills of our local Turkish VARs.
05:20My aim is to rebuild trust with accountability and professionalism.
05:25All referees this season have signed ethical codes of conduct.
05:30Appointments are made using a transparent performance-based system where any bias or previous ideas are not involved in the
05:41appointments process.
05:43This is fact.
05:45So people need to remember this.
05:48Do not try and create controversy where it does not exist.
05:52The future of Turkish refereeing relies on sustainable development.
05:57Here in Riva, we conduct monthly elite refereeing seminars to analyse performance and to offer coaching and mentoring to all
06:05our top level officials.
06:06We are also working on the implementation of a new talent programme to try and identify new talent in the
06:12regions across the country and to offer them the support and development to help them reach the highest level.
06:18High potential referees will be fast-tracked through the system on merit.
06:22And these referees will be offered additional support through UEFA mentoring schemes.
06:28And the extra coaching support and analysis will hopefully help these younger referees develop and reach the highest levels of
06:36Turkish and international football.
06:38Turkish football deserves a refereeing system that is trusted and shows the way in international standards.
06:44We will achieve this through accountability, transparency, education and unity.
06:52Vision 2029 is not just a plan.
06:55It is a commitment to the future of our game.
06:58Thank you.
