Ferhat Gündogdu detained as Turkish refereeing probe widens

The Turkish Football Federation faces renewed pressure after Ferhat Gündogdu, head of its Central Refereeing Committee, was placed in pre-trial detention with four other people. The case centres on alleged interference in the administration of referees and has widened an ongoing crisis around the federation’s officiating structures.

Gündogdu and six other suspects appeared before a judge in Istanbul on Friday. The court ordered five of them to remain in custody, while the other two were granted conditional release. The accusations include falsifying official documents, breach of trust and unlawful access to personal data.

Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said prosecutors were examining possible interference in referee classifications, match appointments, assessment procedures, nominations and rule-knowledge examinations. Police also searched the video assistant referee room at the federation’s Istanbul headquarters. Süper Lig referee Yasin Kol and an assistant referee were detained on Thursday in a separate operation targeting illegal betting and sports-related crime.

The investigation follows last year’s suspension of 149 referees over illegal betting allegations, adding to scrutiny of the TFF and its leadership. Federation officials had been in Liège for Turkey’s 3-0 Nations League defeat by Belgium and were due to return home on Saturday. The TFF had not directly commented on the latest detentions.