Another scandal in Turkish football: head of the Central Referees Board detained over interference with referees

Another scandal has erupted in Turkish football. Police have detained the president of the Central Referees Board (MHK), Ferhat Gündoğdu, and six other people over pressure on referees and falsification of official documents.

According to Turkish media citing judicial sources, the investigation, conducted by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul and transferred from Antalya for lack of jurisdiction, began after examining whistleblower and witness statements, expert reports, HTS data and the records of the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK).

At this stage, checks were carried out specifically on MHK president Ferhat Gündoğdu, the president of the Istanbul branch of the Turkish Association of Active Football Referees and Observers, Ferdi Karadoruk, former MHK vice-president Ahmet Şahin, MHK member Sebahattin Şahin and former MHK member Yunus Yıldırım.

The investigation file alleges that some referees were excluded from the classification without an objective and reasoned decision, some were not assigned to matches or had their duties systematically reduced, while other referees were treated preferentially. The investigation file also includes allegations of interference in the scoring evaluation and appointment processes, as well as irregular changes to the 2022 and 2024 referee and observer lists.

Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek reacted to the scandal, stating that besides the detentions, searches were carried out at the suspects’ homes, workplaces and offices by order of the judicial bodies.