Turkey: Head of Football Arbitration Body Appears in Court on Corruption Charges

The president of the Turkish Football Federation’s Arbitration Commission and six others appeared in court on Friday, three days after their arrest as part of a corruption investigation, according to media reports.

Ferhat Gundogdu, the commission’s president, and his deputy, along with five others, were detained on Tuesday in connection with an investigation into allegations of high-level manipulation in the management of refereeing affairs.

The suspects appeared before a judge at the Caglayan Court in Istanbul on Friday morning, facing multiple charges, including “forgery of official documents,” “breach of trust,” and “unlawful acquisition of personal data.”

The arrests came a year after the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees in connection with an illegal betting scandal.

Two days ago, the federation announced that it had referred 450 club officials to its disciplinary committee as part of an investigation into illegal betting.

It was not immediately clear whether this week’s developments were linked to that probe.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlu said after Tuesday’s arrests that prosecutors are examining allegations of “interference in the ranking, appointment, evaluation, and promotion of referees, as well as in law-related examinations.”

The federation, without directly linking the current case to the previous scandal, stated that it is “resolutely tackling the issue of illegal betting” and is supporting the work of the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Youth and Sports in an “ongoing investigation.”

The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported that prosecutors believe the suspects unlawfully influenced referee rankings, promotion exams, and match appointments through document forgery and systematic intimidation.