Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced an investigation into allegations of interference in arbitration processes.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that an investigation is being carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding allegations of interference in the classification, assignment, scoring, appointment and rule examination processes of football referees.

Within the scope of the investigation, TFF Central Referee Board President Ferhat Gündoğdu, Deputy President A.Ş. While 7 people, including MHK Member S.Ş., were detained, their addresses were searched.

"INTERVENTION IN ARBITRATION PROCESSES" CLAIM

In his statement on his social media account, Gürlek stated that football is the common passion of citizens and an important value, and that the competition on the field is fair and the refereeing processes are carried out impartially and transparently, which is fundamental to the trust in football.

Gürlek stated that in this context, allegations that there was interference in the creation of referee classifications, assignment, scoring and appointment processes, and rule exams were examined.

7 PEOPLE IN CUSTODY WITHIN THE SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION

Gürlek stated that an operation was carried out in line with the complainant and witness statements, expert reports, HTS and MASAK records within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office together with the Istanbul Provincial Police Department, and announced that 7 suspects were detained.

Among those detained were TFF Central Referee Board President Ferhat Gündoğdu, TFF MHK Deputy Chairman A.Ş., MHK Member S.Ş., former MHK Member Y.Y. and F.K., President of the Istanbul Branch of the Turkish Active Football Referees and Observers Association. is available.

Gürlek, A.S. He stated that judicial searches were carried out in the residences, workplaces and offices of the suspects, including E.K. and E.K.

"NO ONE'S AUTHORITY IS A PRIVILEGE AGAINST THE LAW"

Stating that the investigation was carried out meticulously, Gürlek said that they were aware of the sensitivity of sports fans regarding the refereeing processes and their expectations of justice.

Gürlek said, "No one's position, title or duty is a reason for privilege before the law."

"WE WILL CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE FOR CLEAN FOOTBALL"

Gürlek thanked the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which conducted the investigation, and the Istanbul Provincial Police Department, which took part in the operation.

Stating that the allegations regarding the refereeing processes should be clarified and those responsible should be held accountable before the law, Gürlek noted that the "fight for clean football" will continue against allegations that undermine trust in Turkish football.

TFF's rule exam and seminar calendar for determining the referee and observer classifications for the 2026-2027 season was previously published.