Turkish court detains football refereeing chief pending corruption trial

What the report says

Turkiye’s football refereeing leadership has been drawn into a new corruption case, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing Anadolu news agency. A court in Istanbul placed the head of the Central Referees Committee, Ferhat Gundogdu, and four other officials in pretrial detention, while two additional suspects received conditional release. The case centers on allegations that the referee administration process was manipulated.

The officials were brought before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Friday and faced charges that included forgery of official documents, breach of trust and unlawful acquisition of personal data. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors are also looking into possible interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring, appointments and rules exams. Police searched the VAR room at the Turkish Football Federation’s headquarters during raids earlier in the week.

The investigation comes amid a wider crisis in Turkish football. Al Jazeera reported that it follows last year’s suspension of 149 referees over illegal betting allegations, and police also detained a Super Lig referee and an assistant referee on Thursday night in a separate action linked to betting and sports crimes. The latest developments may increase pressure on the federation, which has not publicly addressed the arrests in the report.