Turkey Refereeing Chief Ferhat Gündoğdu Detained Alongside Six Officials in Official Documents Investigation.

Turkey’s Central Refereeing Committee chairman, Ferhat Gündoğdu, has been detained alongside six other football officials as part of an investigation into alleged interference in refereeing procedures, including referee classifications, appointments, scoring and officiating examinations.

The operation was carried out on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, across four Turkish provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ and Manisa. Turkish authorities said the investigation is being coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

According to Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency, seven suspects were taken into custody following investigations involving witness and complainant statements, expert assessments, open-source research and examinations of telecommunications and financial information.

The other six people detained include Ferdi Karadoruk, president of the Turkish Active Referees Association; former Central Refereeing Committee vice-chairman Ahmet Şahin; former committee member Yunus Yıldırım; committee member and Turkish Football Federation Education and Fourth Regional official Sebahattin Şahin; İstanbul branch organisational official Alican Sağlar; and Emre Kosif, president of the Istanbul Provincial Refereeing Committee, according to Turkish reports.

The investigation was centres on allegations of workplace harassment, described in Turkish as mobbing, and alleged forgery of official documents.That Turkish authorities were also examining claims involving interference with referee classifications, match assignments, scoring procedures, appointments and officiating rule examinations.

Turkey’s Justice Minister, Akin Gürlek, said the authorities would continue investigating allegations that could undermine confidence in Turkish football. He described the operation as part of efforts to promote what he called “clean football” and said those responsible would be held accountable through the legal process.

The case is significant because the Central Refereeing Committee plays a central role in the organisation and administration of professional football refereeing in Turkey. Allegations concerning referee appointments, classifications and assessments therefore have potential implications for confidence in the integrity and independence of officiating.

Turkish authorities have not established the suspects’ guilt. The seven individuals remain suspects in an ongoing investigation, and the allegations will have to be tested through the appropriate judicial process.

The latest development also comes against the background of wider scrutiny of Turkish football refereeing. However, the current investigation should not automatically be treated as proof of wrongdoing in earlier or separate cases unless investigators establish a direct connection.

Turkish outlets, including Anadolu Agency and Demirören News Agency, confirms that the immediate development concerns the detention of seven individuals and an investigation into alleged interference and official-document offences.

For Obaland magazine, the development underscores the importance of institutional transparency and due process in football administration. As the investigation progresses, further evidence, official statements and judicial decisions will be necessary to establish the facts and determine whether any offences were committed.

Turkey’s referee chief Ferhat Gündoğdu and six football officials have been detained in an investigation into alleged interference with refereeing procedures and official-document offences.