Turkish referees' chief Ferhat Gundogdu detained in football corruption probe

Pinned summary · as of 16:14

Police in Turkey have detained Ferhat Gundogdu, who heads the country's referees' body, as part of a criminal inquiry into suspected corruption in refereeing. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the case centres on claims that the grading, match allocation and appointment of referees, as well as rules examinations, were tampered with. Seven people in total were taken into custody.

What we know

• Mr Gundogdu is one of seven people arrested in a police investigation into suspected corruption in Turkish refereeing. Detention is not a finding of guilt.
• Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said investigators are looking at claims of interference in how referees are ranked, sent to matches, scored and appointed, and in how rules exams are run.
• Mr Gurlek added that the raids included searches at private residences, places of work and official premises.
• “We will resolutely continue our fight for clean football,” Mr Gurlek said, adding that those responsible should answer before the law.
• Late in 2025, after a betting inquiry, the Turkish Football Federation handed suspensions to 149 referees and their assistants because many officials were found to hold betting accounts.
• Turkish authorities have not tied that earlier betting case to the present investigation, and Mr Gurlek did not draw a link between the two.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Vaultz News said the operation, run by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, took place in four provinces on Tuesday, 29 September, and that those held include Ferdi Karadoruk of the Active Referees Association and two Istanbul referee officials, Alican Saglar and Emre Kosif. These details come from that report alone.
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  The Vaultz News listed a former vice-president of the referee board among the seven, while the Ghanaian Times referred to the body's vice-president; the two accounts describe that person's post differently.
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  Reports from Turkey cited by The Vaultz News say the inquiry also covers claims that some referees were unfairly left out of rankings, that referee and observer lists were altered, and that exam questions and grading were manipulated at the federation's Riva facilities. These are allegations under investigation and no court has established them.
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  The Vaultz News quoted the federation as saying betting accounts were held by 371 of the 571 professional referees on its active list, and that 152 had actively gambled, with one referee placing 18,227 bets and 42 betting on more than 1,000 matches. It also put the suspensions at eight to 12 months. These figures were not repeated elsewhere.
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  Accounts differ on the reach of the wider betting scandal: The Vaultz News said more than 1,000 footballers were referred for disciplinary action, while the Ghanaian Times said 29 people were arrested, 14 of them footballers.

Why it matters for Ghana

Fans who follow Turkish football, including many in Ghana who watch European leagues, depend on match officials being seen as fair, so an inquiry into the body that appoints them touches trust in results. The case is at an early stage: those held have not been convicted and the allegations are unproven. Turkey's earlier betting suspensions show that football bodies there have already acted against officials over conduct.