Turkish referee chief among seven detained in corruption probe

A Turkish court placed five of seven officials, including Central Referees Committee chief Ferhat Gundogdu, in pretrial detention after Friday appearances at Istanbul's Caglayan courthouse. Two others received conditional release. Anadolu reported the ruling on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. Charges include forgery of official documents, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors are examining claims of interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring, appointments and rules exams. Police searched the TFF VAR room at Istanbul headquarters in Tuesday raids. On Thursday night the illegal betting and sports crime unit detained Super Lig referee Yasin Kol and an assistant referee. The case comes a year after the TFF suspended 149 referees over illegal betting. Sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy told AFP, "It does seem to be a continuation of 2025, and it looks like it will continue further," and said federation bosses are unlikely to "have any chance of staying in office." The TFF has not directly addressed the arrests; its top officials flew home Saturday after Friday night's Belgium-Turkiye UEFA Nations League match in Liege, which Turkiye lost 3-0.