Turkey's top football referee official jailed amid corruption scandal
Ferhat Gündoğdu, head of the Central Referees Committee, and four others were ordered to jail pending trial on charges of document forgery, breach of trust and illegal data use.
Ferhat Gündoğdu, who leads the Central Referees Committee within the Turkish Football Federation, was brought before a court alongside six alleged accomplices, resulting in five being jailed and two granted conditional release. Prosecutors accuse them of forging official documents, breaching trust and unlawfully obtaining personal data, as part of a broader probe into the manipulation of referee appointments, match assignments and rule-exam scores.
The investigation follows a 2024 suspension of 149 referees over illegal betting allegations. Police also detained Süper Lig referee Yasin Kol and an assistant referee, and raided the VAR control room at the TFF’s Istanbul headquarters. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the probe targets interference in referee classification and match-day duties. Sports journalist Ayhan Şensoy warned that federation leaders are unlikely to retain their positions amid the ongoing scandal.
Why it matters
The arrests expose potential systemic corruption in Turkish football, threatening the sport's integrity and governance.
How this story developed
- Sep 28 Turkey’s ‘Family is Safe’ raids detain dozens of LGBTI+ activists, including Nedime Erdoğan
- Sep 29 On Sept. 29 Turkish authorities took the chairman of the Turkish Football Federation’s Central Referee Board and six other football officials into custody as part of a probe into alleged document forgery and workplace harassment.
- Oct 2 A court order blocked T24’s website and social‑media profiles.
- Oct 3 Prosecutors have named the sweep the “Referees File.”
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