Arrests had been remodeled interference with refereeing procedures, amongst different accusations, Turkish justice minister says.
Revealed On 29 Sep 2026
The top of Turkiye’s soccer refereeing physique and 6 different individuals have been arrested over accusations of interference in refereeing procedures, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated.
“Claims concerning interference within the formation of referee classifications, assignments, scoring and appointment processes, in addition to rule examinations, have been investigated,” Gurlek wrote in a social media submit on Tuesday.
Ferhat Gundogdu, the president of the refereeing physique, and his deputy had been amongst these arrested.
Gurlek stated searches had been carried out on the suspects’ “residences, workplaces and workplaces”.
“We’ll steadfastly proceed the combat for clear soccer in order that claims undermining belief in Turkish soccer are clarified, these accountable are held accountable earlier than the legislation, and soccer is remembered for the hassle, battle, and sportsmanship on the sector,” Gurlek added.
A yr in the past, the Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees on costs of involvement in an illegal betting scandal.
The TFF investigation discovered that 371 in a foreign country’s 571 referees officiating within the skilled leagues had betting accounts and 152 of them actively positioned bets.
Some 29 individuals had been arrested within the sprawling scandal, together with 14 footballers, one in every of whom was Fenerbahce’s worldwide midfielder Mert Hakan Yandas.
Authorities suspended greater than 1,000 gamers, together with 25 from the primary division.
Nonetheless, Gurlek didn’t draw any hyperlink between final yr’s betting scandal and the present investigation.
