Turkish Football Federation appoints first woman chair to referees' committee

Photo: AA

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The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) appointed Prof. Dr. Lale Orta as the new head of Türkiye's Central Refereeing Committee (MHK) on January 29, making her the first woman president of the MHK. The MHK is an affiliated body of the TFF that appoints referees in matches played within Türkiye and abroad.

"The Central Refereeing Committee will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Lale Orta, Türkiye's first female football trainer, first female referee, and one of the first female referees with a FIFA license. We believe that the new committee will fulfill its responsibilities to add value to football in Türkiye and to bring it to higher levels. We wish the new MHK president and members success in their duties," TFF stated in their announcement.

Prof. Dr. Orta, a former football player, became Türkiye's first female football coach when the TFF opened up coaching courses for women in 1985.

Ten years later, in 1995, she became one of the first female football referees with a FIFA license. Throughout her career, she managed over 1.500 matches professional and amateur matches and 60 international matches before quitting refereeing.

In 2000 she obtained a Ph.D. at Istanbul Technical University in Physical Education. (SD/WM/PE/VK)