Turkish referees' chief arrested in corruption investigation

The head of the Turkish referees' body has been arrested as part of a police investigation into corruption.

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

Ferhat Gundogdu, the president of the refereeing body, his vice-president and another five people are those arrested.

Gurlek said police also searched homes, workplaces and offices.

"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 Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said police inspected the VAR room at its headquarters in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The federation denied reports that digital material had been deleted before the inspection and subsequently recovered by police.

It said it was cooperating with investigators and would file criminal complaints over false reports and social media posts.

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

A total of 29 people were arrested in the scandal, including 14 footballers.

However, Gurlek did not make any link between last year's betting scandal and the current investigation.

Meanwhile, in a separate investigation the TFF has confirmed that 448 people have been provisionally suspended and referred to its Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) as part of a betting investigation.

The TFF said those involved had held posts at clubs in the top two divisions in Turkish football over the previous five years and had been found to have placed bets while in office.

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan and Besiktas vice-president Hakan Daltaban are included on a list that contains officials from every Super Lig club aside from Kasimpasa.

Speaking to Turkish broadcaster A Spor, Dogan that he had previously held a betting account which was subsequently closed and he had informed the relevant authorities.

"These companies sponsored clubs and held launch events. Nobody thought this would cause problems," he said.

"The TFF has taken this view. If we made a mistake, we apologise, but we have done nothing wrong."

A total of 171 people from Turkish top-flight clubs have been referred to the board.