Turkey’s refereeing crisis deepened on Friday as Ferhat Gündogdu, the head of the country’s Central Refereeing Committee, appeared before a judge after being taken into custody earlier this week.
Refereeing chief among seven facing allegations
Gündogdu, who leads the MHK, was brought before the court alongside six other people, including his deputy. The group had been detained on Tuesday and placed under formal investigation.
They face allegations involving the falsification of official documents, breach of trust and the unlawful acquisition of personal data. A decision on possible pre-trial detention could follow.
- Ferhat Gündogdu, president of Turkey’s Central Refereeing Committee, appeared before a judge on Friday.
- Six other suspects appeared with him, including the committee’s vice-president.
- All seven were detained on Tuesday.
- The investigation concerns alleged document fraud, abuse of trust and illegally obtained personal information.
Super Lig officials also under investigation
The case reaches into Turkey’s top division, with two referees working in the Super Lig also placed under formal investigation. It is another damaging episode for an officiating system already under intense scrutiny in the Euro 2032 co-host nation.
Earlier this week, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek referred to claims of interference across several areas of refereeing administration. The allegations concern the ranking of officials, match appointments, evaluation and promotion procedures, and examinations testing knowledge of the laws of the game.
Betting findings had already raised alarm
The latest judicial developments come roughly a year after an investigation by the Turkish Football Federation examined 571 referees from the country’s professional leagues.
That inquiry found that 371 of those officials held sports-betting accounts, while 152 were actively placing bets. The new case adds further pressure to a refereeing structure whose credibility has repeatedly been questioned.
