Türkiye’s football establishment faces renewed scrutiny after its refereeing chief and six other officials were remanded in custody in an investigation into alleged misconduct, almost a year after a betting scandal triggered mass arrests and suspensions.
Ferhat Gündoğdu, head of the Turkish Football Federation’s Central Refereeing Committee (MHK), was remanded in jail on Saturday, 3 October, alongside Ferdi Karadoruk, Yunus Yıldırım, Alican Sağlar and Emre Kosif. Two other suspects, Ahmet Şahin and Sebahattin Şahin, were released under judicial supervision with overseas travel bans.
On Monday, 5 October, Süper Lig referee Yasin Kol (pictured below) and assistant referee Göktuğ Hazar Erel were also remanded. According to Anadolu Agency, prosecutors sought Kol’s detention over alleged match-fixing and incentive payments, and Erel’s over alleged forgery of official documents.
The investigation, led by Istanbul prosecutors, concerns allegations including document forgery, breach of trust and unlawfully obtaining personal data. Investigators are examining whether referee appointments, rankings and promotions were manipulated, with some officials receiving preferential treatment while others were sidelined.
Gündoğdu has denied wrongdoing and has since resigned as MHK chairman. Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu has also denied involvement, telling Hürriyet: “Don’t try and pin 30 years of corruption in football on me.”
Last year’s betting scandal
The latest arrests follow the crisis that erupted in October 2025, when the federation disclosed that 371 of Türkiye’s 571 active professional referees had betting accounts and 152 had placed bets. It subsequently imposed bans of eight to 12 months on 149 referees and assistants.
On 7 November, prosecutors issued detention orders for 21 people, including 17 referees. Eight suspects were subsequently jailed pending trial, while 1,024 players were suspended pending disciplinary investigations.
A further operation on 5 December targeted 46 suspects, including players, club presidents and commentators. Reuters reported that 35 were detained that morning, with prosecutors alleging that 27 players had bet on their own teams’ matches.
Speaking on Tuesday, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the current inquiry also covered allegations that referee examination questions had been distributed in advance. “Our main goal is to keep football clean,” he said, according to AFP.
Photo of Ferhat Gündoğdu, head of the Turkish Football Federation’s Central Refereeing Committee (MHK), speaking about his career and the Turkish refeering scandal at a conference hosted by Near East University (NEU), North Cyprus, Oct. 2025. Photo © NEU.
