Turkish Referee Chief Gündogdu Detained in Raid

Turkish authorities detained Ferhat Gündogdu, head of the Central Referee Board (MHK), on Tuesday along with six other suspects, in a case Justice Minister Akin Gürlek linked to interference in refereeing appointments and assessments.

Police carried out raids in four provinces, according to Anadolu. Gündogdu's deputy was among those held. Gürlek said on X that searches were carried out "at their homes, workplaces and offices," and cited allegations covering "interference in the drawing-up of referee rankings, in the assignment of referees, in evaluation and appointment processes, and in rules examinations."

"We will continue to fight resolutely for clean football, so that the accusations undermining trust in Turkish football are clarified and those responsible are brought to justice," Gürlek said.

The case comes a year after the Turkish Football Federation's disciplinary board suspended 149 referees over breaches of its betting ban, with bans of eight to twelve months. A federation inquiry into 571 referees across the professional leagues found 371 held betting accounts and 152 had bet actively; 22 of those implicated, seven central referees and 15 assistants, took charge of top-flight matches. Neither the minister nor Turkish media drew any link between Tuesday's arrests and last year's betting case.

If the interference allegations hold up, they add a second front to a refereeing system already under scrutiny after last year's betting suspensions, with the credibility of officiating in Turkey's top flight facing renewed pressure regardless of how the two cases turn out to be connected.