Turkish Football Shaken by Major Referee Corruption and Arrest Scandal
The chairman of Turkey's Central Refereeing Committee and several officials have been arrested in a sweeping corruption and match-fixing investigation.
A massive scandal has hit Turkish football as Ferhat Gundoudu, chairman of the Central Refereeing Committee of the Turkish Football Federation (MHK), was detained as part of a sweeping investigation dubbed the "Referees Case". Four other officials linked to the refereeing system were arrested alongside him.
The investigation is led by the Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Unit at the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Suspected offenses include forgery of official documents, breach of trust, and illegal acquisition of personal data.
Expanding Arrests and Judicial Action
In addition to Gundoudu, the court ordered the detention of Ferdi Karaduruk, head of the Referees Association, and former federation members Yunus Yildirim, Alican Saglar, and Emre Kosif. Two other suspects were released under restrictive conditions, including a travel ban and mandatory check-ins.
The scandal has already reached active top-tier referees. Super League referee Yasin Kol and assistant referee Goktu Hazer Aral were detained for questioning on October 1 following the examination of digital material and financial data. Legal proceedings regarding their cases are ongoing.
"The federation has initiated work to establish a new Central Refereeing Committee following the developments." — Turkish Football Federation
Deepening Crisis in Turkish Football
Meanwhile, 24 active referees and eight former referees have provided testimonies as witnesses or complainants. Police searched the offices of the Referees Association, confiscating computers and documents.
The Turkish Football Federation announced it has begun forming a new Central Refereeing Committee. Until appointments are finalized, referee assignments for Turkish Cup matches will be handled by the committee's deputy chair and remaining members.
