Turkish referees' chief arrested in corruption investigation

The head of Turkey's referees' committee has been detained along with six other people as part of a police investigation into corruption within the country's football officiating system, according to BBC News.

Ferhat Gundogdu, president of the refereeing body, was arrested alongside his vice-president and five other individuals, BBC News reported. Turkish justice minister Akin Gurlek said the inquiry is examining allegations of interference in how referees are classified, assigned to matches, scored and appointed, as well as concerns over rule examinations.

Gurlek said investigators had also carried out searches of homes, workplaces and offices connected to those detained, according to BBC News.

In a statement reported by BBC News, Gurlek said authorities would continue pursuing what he described as their effort for "clean football," so that claims undermining confidence in the Turkish game could be fully investigated, those found responsible held accountable, and football restored to being defined by effort, competition and sportsmanship.

The case is separate from a large-scale betting scandal that rocked Turkish football late last year. According to BBC News, the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistant referees in November 2025 after discovering that hundreds of professional match officials held betting accounts. That investigation led to 29 arrests, including 14 footballers.

Gurlek did not draw any connection between the earlier betting scandal and the newly announced corruption investigation into the referees' committee leadership, BBC News reported.

The detentions represent the latest blow to the credibility of football governance in Turkey, coming just months after the betting-related suspensions exposed widespread rule violations among match officials. No further details on potential charges or a timeline for the investigation have been released.