Pole to the Face, Black Eye: Former PSG Player Mauro Icardi Amid Controversy

Icardi caught in controversy during the derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in Turkey: a pole to the face, but who is at fault?

In Turkey, during the heated derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray on Sunday night, Mauro Icardi made headlines. He ended the match with a black eye under his right eye. Galatasaray, taking advantage of the tumultuous period in Turkey (assault on a referee on the field, referee escorted by the police, general brawl, etc.), denounced a refereeing scandal and image manipulation after their player’s unsanctioned injury during the match.

“Those who only want justice for themselves continued to manipulate Turkish football on all channels tonight (Sunday),” the club tweeted, outraged that a penalty was not awarded for the incident. “We share what the referee panel, the VAR room, and the 26 cameras could not see, and we are ashamed on their behalf. Hoping those who brought Turkish football to this point will one day be ashamed…”

However, widely circulated images on social media show that the Argentine striker injured himself by colliding with a goalpost. Fenerbahçe wasted no time in responding, accusing Galatasaray of attempting to create victimization around a player who simply collided with a goalpost. Fener’s captain, Edin Dzeko, deemed the opponents’ claims “embarrassing.” Between these two rivals, the rivalry evidently knows no respite.

Mauro Icardi se mange le poteau lors du match de Galatasaray contre Fenerbahçe le 24 décembre 2023pic.twitter.com/fz08BJiyE0

— UN TRUC DE FOOT (@untrucdefoot) December 24, 2023