Turkey’s football refereeing chief, Ferhat Gundogdu, and four other suspects have been remanded in custody as authorities investigate alleged corruption in the country’s referee administration.
Gundogdu, who heads the Central Referees Committee, was among seven suspects who appeared before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse over allegations linked to the manipulation of referee administration processes.
The suspects are facing allegations including official document forgery, breach of trust and the unlawful acquisition of personal data, according to state news agency Anadolu.
Following Friday’s proceedings, the court ordered five suspects to remain in pre-trial detention while the remaining two were granted conditional release.
The case comes one year after the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees over allegations of illegal betting.
The latest investigation has also widened beyond the refereeing committee. Police on Thursday detained Super Lig referee Yasin Kol and an assistant referee as part of a separate illegal betting and sports crime investigation, according to local media reports.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors were examining allegations of interference in referee classification, appointments, assignments, scoring and examinations.
Police also searched the Video Assistant Referee room at the Turkish Football Federation’s headquarters in Istanbul during raids on Tuesday.
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The Turkish Football Federation has not yet issued a direct response to the latest arrests, while investigations into the allegations remain ongoing.
