Turkish referees' chief arrested in corruption investigation

What the report says

Turkey’s top refereeing official has been detained in a corruption investigation, according to BBC Sport Football. Ferhat Gundogdu, president of the Turkish referees’ body, was arrested along with his deputy and five other people as police expanded a probe into alleged interference in referee classifications, assignments, scoring and appointment procedures, as well as rule examinations. The justice minister, Akin Gurlek, said officers also searched homes, workplaces and offices.

The case adds new scrutiny to Turkish football’s officiating structures at a sensitive time. Gurlek said authorities would continue efforts to protect the integrity of the game and hold those responsible to account. The BBC report notes that the investigation is separate from last year’s betting scandal, in which the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after finding that hundreds of match officials had betting accounts. That earlier case led to 29 arrests, including 14 footballers.

The latest detentions matter because they involve senior figures responsible for referee oversight and raise further questions about governance and trust in Turkish football. Based on the BBC’s reporting, investigators are focusing on alleged misconduct inside the refereeing system itself, rather than on betting-related offences. No outcome has yet been reported, and the authorities have not publicly linked the new arrests to the previous scandal.