Bitnel responds to Hacıosmanoğlu: If you cannot prove it, you are a slanderer

TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, speaking to A Spor, raised the Galatasaray vs Trabzonspor match played on 21 February 2016. Hacıosmanoğlu noted that four red cards were shown in the match and claimed that, near the end, a player punched the referee without being shown a red card, and that the added time was not enough. He also called for an investigation into how much betting was placed on the two red cards in this match.

Referee Deniz Ateş Bitnel rejected the accusations in a post made after Hacıosmanoğlu's statements. Bitnel said that Hacıosmanoğlu would be accused of slander unless he proved that Mustafa Yumlu had punched him. He also objected to Hacıosmanoğlu's claims that the match was ended early and that betting was placed on it.

Bitnel argued that the prosecutors of the time carried out the necessary investigation and found no stain. The former referee said he was ready for a new investigation and asked Hacıosmanoğlu why, instead of talking about the people currently under arrest, he was bringing up events that never happened.