Turkey | Refereeing Committee Chairman and Six Others Arrested in Investigation into Suspected Corruption and Manipulation | CUAC

Civil Union – Follow-up Turkish authorities arrested Ferhat Gündoğdu, chairman of the Central Refereeing Committee of the Turkish Football Federation, along with six other officials, as part of a judicial investigation into allegations of interference in refereeing procedures and manipulation of the classification, appointment, and evaluation of referees. The operation, carried out on Tuesday, took place across four provinces — Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ, and Manisa — under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. It included searches of the suspects’ homes, workplaces, and offices. According to the authorities, the investigation focuses on allegations of interference in referee classification, match appointments, performance ratings, promotion decisions, and refereeing law examinations, in addition to allegations of workplace bullying and the manipulation or falsification of official documents. Those arrested alongside Gündoğdu included former Central Refereeing Committee deputy chairman Ahmet Şahin; former committee member Yunus Yıldırım; current committee member and Fourth Regional Education Officer Sebahattin Şahin; Chairman of the Association of Active Referees and Observers Ferhi Karaduru; Istanbul branch organization official Alican Sağlar; and Chairman of the Istanbul Regional Referees Committee Emre Köse. Investigators reportedly relied on statements from complainants and witnesses, expert reports, records from Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), telecommunications records, and open-source intelligence to determine the suspects’ alleged links to the matters under investigation. Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the investigation aims to clarify allegations that could affect confidence in Turkish football, stressing that legal proceedings against the suspects are continuing. The case comes a year after a separate investigation into Turkish football that resulted in 149 referees being suspended over allegations related to illegal betting. However, Turkish authorities have not announced any connection between the previous investigation and the current case. Source: Punch Newspapers