Turkish police arrest referee committee president and six officials in corruption probe

Raids and arrests across four provinces

Turkish police arrested Ferhat Gündoğdu, the president of the Turkish Football Federation's Central Referee Committee (MHK), alongside six other officials on Tuesday. The coordinated operation unfolded across four provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara, following an order from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Law enforcement officers carried out searches at residences, workplaces, and administrative offices tied to the suspects. Officers confiscated case files, referee examination dossiers, and revenue-surplus accounting records during the raids. In addition to Gündoğdu, authorities detained the vice president of the referee committee and Ferdi Karadoruk, the president of the active referees association. The MHK oversees the classification, match assignments, and performance evaluations of referees, decisions that Turkish clubs and supporters have frequently contested.

Claims regarding interference in the formation of referee classifications, assignments, scoring and appointment processes, as well as rule examinations, have been investigated.

Scope of the criminal investigation

The Illegal Betting and Sports Crime Bureau within the Istanbul prosecutor's office opened the corruption probe on allegations of document forgery, breach of trust, unlawful acquisition of personal data, and mistreatment. Investigators also scrutinized claims of systematic intimidation and improper manipulation in the referee grading hierarchy. The proceedings rely on financial audits from Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), telecommunications data, complainant statements, and formal expert reports. Among the confiscated files, investigators identified communications from May 2025 showing an examiner reminding Karadoruk to transmit referee examination questions. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that the government intends to pursue full legal accountability for actions undermining competitive integrity in the sport.

We will steadfastly continue the fight for clean football so that claims undermining trust in Turkish football are clarified, those responsible are held accountable before the law, and football is remembered for the effort, struggle, and sportsmanship on the field.

Previous betting inquiries and federation fallout

The current wave of arrests follows a separate probe into illegal sports gambling that affected the Turkish Football Federation in late 2025. During that inquiry, the federation disciplinary committee suspended 149 referees and assistant referees with bans lasting between eight and twelve months. An internal investigation of 571 referees operating across the country's professional tiers revealed that 371 officials held accounts with betting services. Of those account holders, 152 referees actively placed wagers on sporting events in direct violation of federation regulations. Among the penalized officials were 22 individuals working in the top flight, including seven main referees and 15 assistant referees.

Legal separation between ongoing cases

The 2025 gambling investigation eventually resulted in the arrest of 29 people, including 14 professional footballers such as Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş. Federation authorities also handed down suspensions to more than 1,000 players, including 25 competitors from the first division. Despite the overlapping institutional scrutiny, Justice Minister Gürlek and Turkish judicial authorities have established no formal connection between the 2025 betting inquiry and the current referee committee probe. Public prosecutors in Istanbul continue to analyze the seized examination archives, financial ledgers, and telecommunications records as the suspects remain in custody.