Turkish refereeing chief detained in inquiry
Turkish media report that Ferhat Gündoğdu and six other officials are being questioned over allegations including official document forgery.
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The chairman of Turkey’s Central Refereeing Committee, Ferhat Gündoğdu, has reportedly been detained, according to several Turkish news outlets. The reports refer to an investigation into possible official document forgery and intimidation, but no public statement from the Turkish Public Prosecutor’s Office has yet been issued.
The detention was reported on Tuesday by Türkiye Gazetesi and later described in greater detail by Mersin Haber. According to those reports, the operation was conducted from Istanbul and involved Gündoğdu and six other people being taken in for questioning. The allegations have not been proven.
Mersin Haber writes that the investigation stems from a complainant’s statements and additional inquiries into, among other things, telephone records, financial records, witness statements and expert reports. The source names possible suspicions of official document forgery and mobbing, a term used in Turkey for systematic workplace intimidation.
Gündoğdu heads the Merkez Hakem Kurulu, the committee within the Turkish Football Federation involved in organising and assessing referees. Earlier this year, the Turkish Football Federation presented him in that role during the presentation of FIFA insignia to Turkish referees.
The timing is sensitive for Turkish football. The refereeing committee partly determines which referees are assigned to important matches and therefore influences confidence in the competition. An investigation into its leadership may raise questions about the independence of assessments, but in itself says nothing about match results or the guilt of those involved.
The public reporting contains no information yet about any possible charge, pre-trial detention or prosecutorial decision. Nor is it clear whether the Turkish Football Federation itself has announced any measures. We are therefore limiting ourselves to what the news reports say and are not using wording that the officials have been arrested or are guilty.
Independent confirmation from the Turkish authorities is needed to establish the scope of the investigation. Until then, it remains a reported detention in an ongoing inquiry. Those involved are considered suspects unless a court decides otherwise.
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The text is cautiously worded because primary confirmation is lacking. Gündoğdu’s position was checked with the Turkish Football Federation; the current detention remains described as a reported event that has not yet been independently confirmed.
- confirmed Ferhat Gündoğdu is chairman of Turkey’s Central Refereeing Committee. — The Turkish Football Federation names him in that role. source
- uncertain Gündoğdu and six others were detained for questioning on 29 September 2026. — Reported by Türkiye Gazetesi and Mersin Haber, but not independently confirmed by a public statement from the authorities. source
- uncertain According to the reports, the investigation concerns, among other things, official document forgery and mobbing. — These suspicions are mentioned by Mersin Haber; no primary charge is available. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Turkish refereeing chief and deputy chairman arrested.Now: Turkish refereeing chief and six others reportedly detained for questioning, according to Turkish media. (The available sources do not confirm an arrest or formal pre-trial detention and do not name a deputy chairman as a separately confirmed fact.)
Editor's note
The detention and suspicions have been confirmed solely by Turkish news outlets. No public statement from the authorities or the football federation about the operation, the exact suspicions or the procedural status was available.Sources
- MHK Başkanı Ferhat Gündoğdu gözaltına alındı — Türkiye Gazetesi
- İstanbul'da düzenlenen operasyonda MHK Başkanı Ferhat Gündoğdu ve 6 şüpheli gözaltına alındı — Mersin Haber
- 2026 Yılı FIFA Kokart Töreni Yapıldı — Turkish Football Federation
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „turkije voetbal”
- Het Parool — „turkije voetbal”
- Trouw — „turkije voetbal”