Nuri Sahin, ex-leased by Liverpool, is now the manager of the Turkish team Antalyaspor, which was involved in a scandalous night involving referee Kadir Saglam.
Although Shaheen spent just five months on loan at Liverpool in the 2012-13 season, he is remembered as one of the club’s most misused players in the modern era.
Having moved from Real Madrid as a high-profile signing, the German-born Turk was tapped by Brendan Rodgers in an unfamiliar No. 10 role, despite the fact that he shone as a deep-lying midfielder in Dortmund.
“I talked to him and asked why I was playing there. This is not my real position,” he explained after his early departure in 2013.
“The boss couldn’t answer me…”
Sahin then returned to Dortmund, where he reunited with Jurgen Klopp, continuing to play for Werder Bremen and Antalyaspor before announcing his retirement at the age of 33.
This happened after he was appointed head coach at Antalyaspor, where he is currently spending his second season.
On Tuesday evening, there was a controversial clash with Fenerbahce, in which Shahin’s candidates for relegation quickly took the lead thanks to Haji Wright, but lost 2-1 due to a double by Misha Batshuayi.
Incredible scenes unfolded in Antalya when Fernando scored a stunning goal from outside the penalty area in the eighth minute of added time.
The linesman noted offside, and the VAR check ruled out a strike with a minimal margin, since Wright was found to have violated the rules.
Taunts rained down on the referee, Saglam and his officials throughout the working day, and Shahin was forced to run onto the field and cover them from his players.
🇹🇷 Quand Nuri Sahin protège les arbitres… de ses propres joueurs !
😳 C'est complètement dingue ! pic.twitter.com/2i47M9Dw9c— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) January 4, 2023
Winger Guray Vural, in particular, was outraged by this decision, while Saglam showed a red card to one of Shahin’s coaches when the Fenerbahce team was celebrating in the background.
It is noteworthy that the matter did not end there: Antalyaspor published an official statement, after which it criticized Saglam as a “novice referee” and demanded an audio recording from VAR.
In a statement signed by the board of directors of Antalyaspor, Saglam is accused of having “invented a penalty” in the 2-0 defeat against Kasimpashi in September, and on Tuesday said that he “achieved a penalty and earned offside.”
“We demand justice not only for our community, but also for all Anatolian clubs,” the conclusion says.
At the moment, Sahin has managed 53 games for Antalyaspor, bringing 25 wins, 10 draws and 18 defeats.
