Türkiye: referee boss and four other people placed in pre-trial detention
Ferhat Gündogdu, president of the TFF Central Referees Committee, has been remanded in custody as part of an investigation into the manipulation of the referee management process.
Quick Look
The chairman of the Central Referees Committee of the Turkish Football Federation, Ferhat Gündogdu, and four others were placed in pre-trial detention for manipulation of the referee management process.
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Why It Matters
The investigation follows previous illegal betting scandals to hit Turkish refereeing, including the suspension of 149 referees last year.
The head of football referees in Turkey and four other people have been placed in pre-trial detention, as part of a case that has shaken the entire Turkish Football Federation (TFF), the Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.
Ferhat Gündogdu, chairman of the TFF Central Referees Committee (MHK), and six others appeared before a judge at Istanbul's Caglayan Court on Friday to answer charges of manipulating the referee management process.
Already 149 referees suspended last year for illegal betting
They are accused in particular of “falsification of official documents”, “breach of trust” and “illegal acquisition of personal data”.
The judge ordered the detention of five of them and granted conditional release to the other two, Anadolu said.
This is the latest scandal to rock Turkish football, a year after the TFF suspended 149 referees for illegal betting.
Thursday evening, police specializing in the fight against illegal betting and sports-related crime also arrested Yasin Kol, referee for Süper Lig, the Turkish first division, and an assistant referee, according to media reports.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors were examining "allegations of interference in the establishment of referee rankings, nominations (for matches), scoring and nomination processes, as well as exams" to test knowledge of the rules.
An investigation linked to last year’s betting scandal?
During the searches, the police notably searched the video refereeing room (VAR) at the TFF headquarters in Istanbul. According to observers, the investigation is linked to last year's betting scandal and could affect the federation.
These new legal steps “seem to be the continuation of 2025, and it is likely that this will continue,” sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy told AFP.
Author in 2024 of a book on the subject (“Bahis Cukuru”, or “The Pit at the Game”), Mr. Sensoy doubts that the current leaders of Turkish football “have the slightest chance of remaining in office”.
For the moment, the TFF has not commented directly on these arrests. Its senior officials were due to return to Turkey on Saturday, after having attended the 3-0 defeat of the national team against Belgium in a Nations League match on Friday evening in Liège.
Open Questions
- What will be the long-term consequences for the management of the TFF?
- Will other referees or managers be involved in the coming days?
