Overview
- Seven senior figures from the Central Referees Committee, including president Ferhat Gündogdu, were detained after coordinated searches of homes, workplaces and offices in multiple provinces.
- Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said investigators are probing alleged manipulation of referee classifications, match appointments, scoring, appointment processes and exam rules.
- Turkey’s state-linked Anadolu Agency reported several detainees face criminal accusations of document falsification and maltreatment tied to the organisation of promotions and posts.
- Gündogdu served as MHK president in 2021, resigned in 2022 and was reappointed in July 2024, a discontinuous tenure that raises questions about oversight inside the refereeing body.
- The probe follows earlier integrity scandals in Turkish refereeing, including the TFF disciplinary suspension of 149 referees for betting, and officials say the case may trigger prosecutions and governance changes.