Turkish FA Chief Denies Role In Explosive Referee Scandal
The President of the Turkish Football Federation, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, has denied any involvement in the growing refereeing and corruption scandal rocking Turkish football.
The controversy intensified after Ferhat Gundogdu, chairman of the Central Referees Committee, and four other officials were jailed pending trial over allegations bordering on manipulation of the referee administration system.
The suspects appeared before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Saturday and face charges including official document forgery, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data.
The investigation is believed to be linked to a wider illegal betting scandal that has plagued Turkish football since last year.
Haciosmanoglu, who has led the federation for just over two years, rejected suggestions that he should be held responsible for decades of alleged corruption in the country’s football system.
“Don’t try and pin 30 years of corruption in football on me,” Haciosmanoglu told Hurriyet newspaper.
He added: “Let no one try to blame me and my colleagues on the board for the corruption, decay and lack of ethics that have existed in Turkish football for 15, 20 or perhaps 30 years.
“For the future of Turkish football, we will be prepared, if necessary, not only to do our part but to assume the full weight of responsibility.”
The scandal deepened on Monday after two Super Lig referees detained last Thursday were also remanded in pre-trial detention by an Istanbul court, according to Turkish media reports.
Leaked WhatsApp messages and other communications between Haciosmanoglu and Gundogdu have also raised questions over alleged interference in referee rankings, promotions and appointments.
Turkey’s Justice Minister, Akin Gurlek, said prosecutors were investigating claims of interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments, as well as examinations on the laws of the game.
The latest development comes exactly a year after the Turkish federation suspended 149 referees for alleged involvement in illegal betting.
An investigation involving 571 referees from Turkey’s professional leagues reportedly found that 371 had sports betting accounts, while 152 had actively placed bets.
Sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy, author of the 2024 book The Gambling Pit, described the latest arrests as a continuation of last year’s betting scandal and questioned whether the current federation leadership could survive the crisis.
The scandal comes at a sensitive time for Turkish football, whose top-flight Super Lig has continued to attract high-profile players, including Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who joined Trabzonspor from Liverpool in August.
The controversy intensified after Ferhat Gundogdu, chairman of the Central Referees Committee, and four other officials were jailed pending trial over allegations bordering on manipulation of the referee administration system.
The suspects appeared before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Saturday and face charges including official document forgery, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data.
The investigation is believed to be linked to a wider illegal betting scandal that has plagued Turkish football since last year.
Haciosmanoglu, who has led the federation for just over two years, rejected suggestions that he should be held responsible for decades of alleged corruption in the country’s football system.
“Don’t try and pin 30 years of corruption in football on me,” Haciosmanoglu told Hurriyet newspaper.
He added: “Let no one try to blame me and my colleagues on the board for the corruption, decay and lack of ethics that have existed in Turkish football for 15, 20 or perhaps 30 years.
“For the future of Turkish football, we will be prepared, if necessary, not only to do our part but to assume the full weight of responsibility.”
The scandal deepened on Monday after two Super Lig referees detained last Thursday were also remanded in pre-trial detention by an Istanbul court, according to Turkish media reports.
Leaked WhatsApp messages and other communications between Haciosmanoglu and Gundogdu have also raised questions over alleged interference in referee rankings, promotions and appointments.
Turkey’s Justice Minister, Akin Gurlek, said prosecutors were investigating claims of interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments, as well as examinations on the laws of the game.
The latest development comes exactly a year after the Turkish federation suspended 149 referees for alleged involvement in illegal betting.
An investigation involving 571 referees from Turkey’s professional leagues reportedly found that 371 had sports betting accounts, while 152 had actively placed bets.
Sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy, author of the 2024 book The Gambling Pit, described the latest arrests as a continuation of last year’s betting scandal and questioned whether the current federation leadership could survive the crisis.
The scandal comes at a sensitive time for Turkish football, whose top-flight Super Lig has continued to attract high-profile players, including Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who joined Trabzonspor from Liverpool in August.
