Turkey's football refereeing chief Ferhat Gündoğdu and six others were detained today in an investigation involving allegations of interference in referee examinations and workplace harassment.
Police carried out raids at addresses in İstanbul, Ankara, Elazığ and Manisa as part of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation dubbed as the “Referees file.”
The investigation concerns allegations of “torment” and forgery of official documents against the suspects. Prosecutors determined that Gündoğdu, head of the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) Central Referee Board (MHK), and several referees, observers and current or former MHK officials may have links to the alleged offenses.
Those detained also included Ferdi Karadoruk, head of the TFF Active Referees Association; former MHK deputy chair Ahmet Şahin; former MHK member Yunus Yıldırım; and TFF training and fourth-region official Sebahattin Şahin.
Alican Sağlar, an organizational official at the İstanbul branch of the TFF Referees and Observers Association, and Emre Kosif, head of the association’s İstanbul Provincial Referee Board, were also detained. The suspects were taken to police headquarters for processing.
Exam questions leaked to referees
Messages examined in the investigation include exchanges concerning questions for a refereeing exam.
In a May 15, 2025 message to Karadoruk, referee G.H.E. wrote, “Good morning, chairman. You were going to send over the questions,” referring to the refereeing exam.
Karadoruk replied, “I asked Kosif for them. Let me ask again.”
On May 19, G.H.E. again reminded Karadoruk about sending the questions. Karadoruk responded, “I’m asking Emre brother for the third time now, master. There is a May 19 program. I’ll get back to you when it’s over.”
Another message in the case concerned Mehmet Çaylak, a member of a provincial referee board.
“Definitely don’t give Mehmet Çaylak observer assignments, brother. Let’s think about three years from now, brother. If necessary, let’s mob him so that he resigns,” Karadoruk wrote to another person. (VK)
