Turkish refereeing chief among seven arrested in corruption inquiry

Ferhat Gundogdu, the head of Turkey's refereeing body, has been arrested alongside six other people in a corruption investigation, according to BBC reporting by Burak Abatay. Those detained include the body's vice-president. Justice minister Akin Gurlek said the inquiry concerned allegations of interference in the processes used to classify, assess and appoint referees, as well as examinations on the rules.

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Gurlek said police had carried out searches at homes, workplaces and offices. He presented the investigation as an effort to address allegations affecting confidence in Turkish football and to ensure accountability through the legal system. The matters he described remain allegations under investigation; the arrests do not establish that Gundogdu or the other people detained committed wrongdoing.

The Turkish Football Federation said officers inspected the video assistant referee room at its Istanbul headquarters on Tuesday. It rejected reports that digital material had been erased before the inspection and later recovered by police. The federation said it was assisting the investigation and intended to make criminal complaints concerning reports and social media posts it described as false.

The current case follows a major betting investigation last year, but Gurlek did not connect the two inquiries, the BBC reported. In November 2025, the federation suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found that hundreds of professional match officials had betting accounts. That scandal led to 29 arrests, including those of 14 footballers. Those earlier proceedings are distinct from the allegations now being investigated.

Separately, the federation has announced provisional suspensions for 448 people in another betting inquiry and referred them to its Professional Football Disciplinary Board. It said they had worked at clubs in Turkey's top two divisions during the previous five years and had placed bets while holding those positions. The referrals include 171 people from top-flight clubs, with every Super Lig club except Kasimpasa represented on the list.

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan and Besiktas vice-president Hakan Daltaban are among those named in the disciplinary referrals. Speaking to broadcaster A Spor, Dogan said he had previously owned a betting account, which was later closed, and had notified the relevant authorities. He denied wrongdoing while offering an apology if a mistake had been made. Those disciplinary referrals form part of the separate betting case, not the stated basis for Gundogdu's arrest.