Turkey Referees’ Chief Arrested in Football Corruption Investigation

The president of Turkey’s referees’ body, Ferhat Gundogdu, has been arrested as part of a police investigation into alleged corruption in the country’s football refereeing system.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the investigation is focused on "claims regarding interference in the formation of referee classifications, assignments, scoring and appointment processes, as well as rule examinations".

Gundogdu, the vice-president of the refereeing body and five other people were arrested in connection with the investigation.

Police also searched homes, workplaces and offices as part of the operation, according to Gurlek.

"We will resolutely continue our fight for clean football so that allegations damaging trust in Turkish football are brought to light, those responsible are held accountable before the law, and football is associated with the effort, competition and sportsmanship on the pitch," Gurlek said.

The latest investigation comes less than a year after Turkish football was hit by a major betting scandal involving match officials.

In November 2025, the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found that hundreds of professional match officials in the country had betting accounts.

A total of 29 people were arrested during that investigation, including 14 footballers.

Gurlek, however, did not link the current corruption investigation to last year's betting scandal.