Turkish football’s drive for cleaner governance has reached the officials’ corridor, with the head of refereeing among seven people taken into custody over alleged interference in key parts of the appointment and evaluation system.
Refereeing chief among seven detained
- Justice Minister Akin Gürlek announced that Ferhat Gündogdu, who leads refereeing in Turkey, had been detained alongside six other people.
- One of those detained is the deputy president of the refereeing body.
- Investigators carried out searches at the homes, workplaces and offices of those involved.
- The investigation concerns suspected intervention in referee ranking lists, assessments, match appointments, designations and examinations on the laws of the game.
Gürlek said the authorities were acting to protect “clean football” and pledged that the campaign would continue with determination.
A wider integrity issue
The detentions come against the background of a major disciplinary crackdown on betting among Turkish match officials.
Nearly a year ago, the Turkish Football Federation’s disciplinary council banned 149 referees for periods ranging from eight to 12 months. All had been accused of betting on matches, despite officials being prohibited from doing so.
A separate federation inquiry examined 571 referees working across Turkey’s professional leagues. It found that 371 had betting accounts, while 152 were regular bettors.
The group included 22 officials working in the top division: seven central referees and 15 assistant referees.
