Seven officials, including Ferhat Gundogdu, the head of Turkiye’s football refereeing body, have been detained by a Turkish court as part of a corruption investigation, according to the state news agency Anadolu. The officials are facing allegations of manipulating the referee administration process in Turkish league football. They appeared before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on charges including forgery of official documents, breach of trust, and illegal acquisition of personal data. Five individuals were remanded in custody, while two were granted conditional release.
This incident marks the latest scandal in Turkish football, occurring one year after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees due to illegal betting allegations. Additionally, police detained Yasin Kol, a referee from the Super Lig, and an assistant referee on Thursday night, as reported by various media outlets.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated that prosecutors are investigating claims of interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring, appointments, and exams on rules. Police conducted raids on Tuesday, searching the VAR room at TFF’s headquarters in Istanbul. Observers suggest that this investigation is likely connected to last year's betting scandal and may have significant implications for the federation.
Sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy noted that the situation appears to be a continuation of previous issues and expressed skepticism regarding the federation bosses' ability to remain in their positions. The TFF has not yet commented on the arrests, as its top officials were returning from attending a UEFA Nations League match against Belgium, which Turkiye lost 3-0.