--- title: "\"You Can See Better from Italy\": Arda Turan Criticizes Refereeing After Shakhtar's Loss to Polissya" description: "Arda Turan commented on Shakhtar's loss to Polissya in the UPL: the coach criticized the refereeing, mentioning Shevchenko, Rizzoli, and Surkis, and pointed to finishing problems and the squad's youth." date: 2026-08-30T09:34:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/arda-turan-criticizes-refereeing-after-shakhtar-loss-to-polissya tags: [arda-turan, shakhtar, polissya, upl, refereeing, ukrainian-football] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "You Can See Better from Italy": Arda Turan Criticizes Refereeing After Shakhtar's Loss to Polissya ![Arda Turan in Shakhtar training gear on the sideline after the loss to Polissya, criticizing the refereeing](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/30/arda-turan-prokomentiroval-porazenie-shahtera-ot-polesya/arda-turan-prokomentiroval-porazenie-shahtera-ot-polesya-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Arda Turan publicly criticized the work of the referees in the UPL after Shakhtar's loss to Polissya. - The coach mentioned UAFC head Shevchenko, refereeing curator Rizzoli, and Dynamo president Surkis, suggesting they jointly review the disputed episodes. - Turan named the reasons for the defeat: poor finishing, first touch, passing accuracy, and the squad's youth. - He explained the second goal conceded as a chain of errors: offside, poor attack buildup, and individual actions instead of tactics. - Shakhtar is in third place in the UPL; on September 5 at 18:00 the team will play Karpaty Lviv. Arda Turan, head coach of Donetsk's Shakhtar, delivered a scathing comment after his team's home defeat in the Ukrainian Premier League match against Polissya. According to Sport RBC.UA, citing the "Biy-Bizhi" channel, the Turkish coach did not limit himself to analyzing his players' performance and instead shifted the focus to the work of the referees in the UPL, publicly mentioning UAFC head Andriy Shevchenko, refereeing curator Nicola Rizzoli, and Dynamo Kyiv president Ihor Surkis. At the time of publication, Shakhtar sits in third place in the league table, trailing Polissya on tiebreaker criteria. ### Criticism of the Refereeing The central element of the coach's post-match reaction was an address to the leadership of the refereeing hierarchy. "As for the refereeing, you can ask the president of 'Dynamo,' and also Rizzoli and Shevchenko after the previous match… Perhaps he really can see better from Italy. I have a suggestion that Shevchenko, Surkis, and Rizzoli all watch the disputed episodes together," Turan stated. In doing so, the coach effectively proposed that key figures in Ukrainian football and the Italian refereeing body jointly review the controversial decisions, which became one of the sharpest public statements against the refereeing this season. ### Finishing Problems and a Young Squad Separately, Turan assessed the match itself, acknowledging that the game was not lost due to an overall collapse but due to a lack of pragmatism. "The match against Polissya was not so bad in terms of our finishing, but sometimes we lacked the ability to play a more realistic football. Our conversion of chances, first touch, and passing accuracy let us down," the coach noted. He also drew attention to the team's age structure, emphasizing that the squad's youth does not yet allow them to consistently finish attacks against an organized opponent. ### Breakdown of the Second Goal Conceded Commenting on the second goal against the "miners," Turan refused to reduce it to a single mistake and described a "chain" of errors: poor offside line positioning, weak attack buildup, and a lack of tactical flexibility. According to the coach, instead of making collective decisions, the players began acting individually in critical moments, "begging the ball," which ultimately led to conceding the goal. This analysis aligns with the specialist's earlier assessments, in which he noted that Polissya had elements of play in which it looked better than Shakhtar. ### Position in the Table and Upcoming Match After this round, Shakhtar is in third place in the Ukrainian Premier League, trailing Polissya on tiebreaker criteria with an equal or close number of points. In the next round, Turan's team will face Karpaty Lviv; the match is scheduled for September 5 at 18:00. Recall that Karpaty earlier dropped their first points of the season but retained their lead in the championship, which makes the upcoming match crucial for the Donetsk side in the battle for the top of the table. ### Context: Parallel European Campaign It is important to note that the criticism of the refereeing and the analysis of the league defeat come at a time when Turan is simultaneously leading the team in a European competition. The coach has previously commented on Conference League matches, including the game against AZ and tactical decisions on player substitutions, urging the team to "remain humble." This means that pressure on the coaching staff is building on two fronts at once — the national championship and European cups — which increases the significance of each public statement by the specialist. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Recalled Surkis and Shevchenko: Turan Comments on Refereeing in the Match Against Polissya](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/zgadav-surkisa-ta-shevchenka-turan-prokomentuvav-1788080945.html) - Первичный источник: прямые цитаты Турана по судейству, реализации, разбору гола, положение в таблице и дата матча с «Карпатами» (5 сентября, 18:00). - [Arda Turan Plays His First Match for Barcelona](https://www.aa.com.tr/ru/c%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82/%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%BB-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%87-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8B/501629) - Подтверждено по источнику aa.com.tr - ["Rotan Is Doing Incredible Work." Turan Says What Polissya Does Better Than Shakhtar](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/high/1776707461-rotan-vypolnyaet-neveroyatnuyu-rabotu-turan-rasskazal-v-chem-polese-luchshe-shahtera.html) - Подтверждает контекст послематчевой оценки Тураном игры «Полісся» и отдельных игроков соперника. - ["We Must Remain Humble": Turan on Defensive Actions Against AZ, Early Iizuka Substitution, and ...](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/conference_league/1775793166-my-dolzhny-ostavatsya-skromnymi-turan-o-zaschitnyh-deystviyah-s-az-ranney-zamene-izaki-i-pravilnom-riske.html) - Подтверждает контекст послематчевой оценки Тураном игры «Полісся» и отдельных игроков соперника. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Who exactly did Arda Turan mention in connection with the refereeing? **A:** Turan named UAFC head Andriy Shevchenko, refereeing curator Nicola Rizzoli, and Dynamo president Ihor Surkis, suggesting they jointly watch the disputed episodes. ### Q: What reasons for the defeat did the Shakhtar coach name? **A:** Poor conversion of chances, first touch, passing accuracy, as well as the squad's youth and a lack of pragmatic football. ### Q: Where is Shakhtar in the table now and when is the next match? **A:** Shakhtar is in third place in the UPL, trailing Polissya on tiebreaker criteria. The next match is against Karpaty Lviv on September 5 at 18:00.