The referee of the Turkish Derby match between Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe, Arda Kardeşler, sparked controversy after he used a coin with the Bitcoin logo for the toss on Sunday.
Turkish daily Hürriyet reported in an article that Istanbul FC Besiktas and Fenerbahce’s recent clash ended in a 1-1 draw, but it wasn’t the extreme performance from the teams that attracted people. The newspaper revealed photos posted on social media which showed referees flipping what appeared to be a bitcoin-branded coin in the kick-off ceremony.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has started an investigation on the matter as according to the rules, Turkish referees can only use 1 Turkish lira coin or a special referee coin with one side representing a goalpost, and the other a football.
Ex-referee Murat Fevzi Tanırlı has criticized Arda Kardeşler’s coin selection as a “monkey trick”. Tanırlı suspects his colleagues of damaging the industry’s reputation, expressed hope that the investigation would reveal his true intentions, and warned that Kardeşler may be punished for his actions.
Moreover he said “This is not forgetfulness, it is a move. I really cannot understand why such an experienced referee has scandalized this event.”
The 34-year-old referee who refereed 25 matches this season is accused of having signed an agreement with a cryptocurrency platform without the permission of the federation.
The kick-off ceremony was also covered by a lot of global sports websites, with many commentators saying that UEFA and FIFA might also interfere.
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