A major investigation into Türkiye’s football refereeing system has led to the detention of seven people, including Central Referees Committee (MHK) President Ferhat Gündoğdu, over allegations involving workplace bullying and official document forgery.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the “Referees File” investigation after receiving a complainant’s statement on Sept. 15, 2025. Investigators said they examined open-source material, Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) findings, historical telephone records, witness and complainant statements, and expert reports before determining that Gündoğdu and others could be linked to the alleged offenses.

Police carried out simultaneous operations Tuesday in Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ and Manisa. Seven suspects were detained, including Gündoğdu, who oversees refereeing through the MHK, a body operating under the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).

Those detained are Gündoğdu; Ferdi Karadoruk, president of the TFF Active Referees Association; Sebahattin Şahin, an MHK member and TFF education and fourth-region official; Emre Kosif, president of the TFF Referees and Observers Association’s Istanbul Provincial Referee Board; Alican Sağlar, organizational official of the association’s Istanbul branch; former MHK vice president Ahmet Şahin; and former MHK member Yunus Yıldırım.

Center of investigation

Investigators have examined message records that allegedly shed light on how referee examinations and appointments were handled.

According to records cited in the investigation, referee G.H.E. contacted Karadoruk on May 15, 2025, asking about questions for a refereeing examination. Karadoruk allegedly replied that he had requested them from Emre Kosif and would ask again.

Four days later, G.H.E. reportedly reminded Karadoruk about the questions. Karadoruk allegedly responded that he was asking Kosif for them for a third time and would return to the matter after a May 19 program.

The file also contains an alleged message from Karadoruk concerning Istanbul provincial referee board member Mehmet Çaylak. In the message, Karadoruk allegedly discussed withholding observer assignments from Çaylak and using pressure in an effort to make him resign.

The messages form part of the evidence being examined by prosecutors and do not, by themselves, establish that the alleged offenses occurred.

Alleged manipulation

The investigation extends beyond individual messages, with prosecutors examining alleged irregularities involving referee appointments, classifications, scoring and evaluation procedures.

Investigators are also examining claims of interference in refereeing examinations, including allegations that questions and grading were manipulated during a 2025 examination in Riva and that some results were subsequently changed.

WhatsApp conversations allegedly found on a phone belonging to Karadoruk have also been examined. The phone was reportedly seized and analyzed in connection with a separate obscenity investigation, with some messages allegedly concerning the selection of referee lists.

The investigation has also raised allegations involving the unlawful acquisition of personal data, breach of trust and other offenses against some of the suspects. The specific allegations vary by individual and remain subject to the ongoing investigation.

Searches across four provinces

The Istanbul Financial Crimes Branch conducted the operation under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes Bureau.

Authorities said evidence gathered through financial investigations, telephone records, witness testimony, open-source research and expert analysis pointed to possible links between Gündoğdu, MHK members, referees and observers.

Searches were carried out at addresses connected to the suspects, with authorities seeking digital material, appointment records and documents potentially relevant to the investigation.

The suspects were taken for mandatory medical examinations before being transferred to police facilities for questioning.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek confirmed the operation and said the investigation had uncovered findings concerning alleged interference in referee classifications, appointments, scoring and examination procedures.

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Türkiye have dropped four places to 31st in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking after consecutive defeats to France and Italy in the UEFA Nations League.

Türkiye entered the latest ranking period 27th in the world following the 2026 FIFA World Cup but lost ground after opening their Nations League A campaign with a 1-0 defeat to France before falling 4-1 to Italy in Bursa.

The results cost Türkiye points under FIFA’s ranking formula, which takes into account the importance of a match, the strength of the opponent and the result. The drop leaves the national team in the mid-to-low 1500s in the latest points calculations.

Spain remain at the top of the rankings with 2,002.34 points after winning the 2026 World Cup, while Argentina are second with 1,970.37 and France third with 1,957.10.

England are fourth on 1,916.38, followed by Morocco on 1,806.87, Brazil on 1,802.90, Portugal on 1,797.39, Belgium on 1,779.63, the Netherlands on 1,778.65 and Mexico on 1,754.16.

Morocco’s position reflects a strong run of results, while Mexico have returned to the top 10 following the World Cup, which they co-hosted.

The latest positions and points are based on post-match calculations and remain unofficial until FIFA publishes their next full ranking release in early October.

Türkiye’s four-place slide comes during a difficult start to their Nations League campaign. They are bottom of Group A1 without a point after two matches, while France lead the group and Belgium and Italy have three points each.

Italy’s 4-1 victory in Bursa was particularly costly for Türkiye in ranking terms, with the defeat coming against a team ranked 15th in the world. France, meanwhile, are third, while Belgium sit eighth, underlining the strength of Türkiye’s group.

The Nations League results will also form part of the broader ranking cycle used in determining seeding and qualification pathways for future international competitions.

The latest setback has added pressure on Vincenzo Montella, although the coach said after the Italy defeat that he remained committed to his work with the national team. Türkiye were also without several key players, including Kenan Yıldız, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Mert Müldür.

Montella acknowledged that the team’s performance against Italy was below expectations but pointed to Türkiye’s rise from League C to League A during his tenure and said the squad needed to adapt to the higher level of competition.

Türkiye will have an immediate opportunity to stop the slide when they visit Belgium on Oct. 2, but their recent Nations League results have already left them four places lower in the FIFA rankings than they were after the World Cup.

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Goalkeeper Vozinha helped Cape Verde reach this year’s World Cup round of 32 with clean sheets against Spain and Saudi Arabia, but the 40-year-old says he is struggling to cope with the sudden fame.

Cape Verde, a collection ​of islands ⁠near Africa’s west coast with a population of some 500,000, surprisingly reached the knockout stage in their first appearance at the global tournament before losing 3-2 to Argentina.

Vozinha, whose performances earned him a Yashin Trophy nomination for the year’s best goalkeeper, has become a global star, with his Instagram follower count ballooning from 56,000 ⁠to ⁠28 million people.

“I’ve lost my peace and tranquillity. I no longer have any privacy,” Vozinha told Britain’s Observer newspaper.

“I go to a restaurant, and there’s always someone who wants to take a photo with me or asks me for an autograph. Or worse, someone’s filming me … ⁠I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.”

His family members have also been affected, with fans showing ​up daily at his mother’s house in Cape Verde.

“I’m ​not there, so I can’t help them,” said Vozinha, who left Portuguese second-tier club ⁠Chaves ‌to ‌join Chile’s Colo-Colo in July.

“A lot ⁠of people want to be ‌famous … but they only see the positive side of ​that reality. To be ⁠honest, if I were offered the ⁠life I have today or the life ⁠I had before, ​I’d choose the one I had before.”

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Greek substitute Dimitrios Kourbelis scored a solitary goal to stun Germany 1-0 away in the Nations League Sunday, while Ireland’s players – in remembrance of Gaza – wore black armbands during their match against Israel.

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus dropped Cristiano Ronaldo and was rewarded as his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored the winner in a 2-1 success away to Norway.

Jurgen Klopp, however, was made to wait for his maiden victory in charge of an ineffective Germany as Kourbelis’s deflected second-half strike settled the game in Augsburg.

The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss had made five changes to his team which drew 1-1 with the Netherlands Thursday as he sought to give more of his players a chance to impress him.

Although midfielder Bambase Conte had an impressive debut and Germany dominated possession, they rarely threatened Konstantinos Tzolakis’s goal.

“Personally, I’m completely unbothered by it. I’ve lost far more matches in my life than I would have liked,” Klopp told ARD.

“We absolutely need these kinds of matches – they are exactly the games we wanted to have.”

Ireland back Gaza

Ireland’s players came out wearing black armbands for their match with Israel in Hungary which almost did not take place due to heavy pressure back in Ireland on the team to boycott the game over the war in Gaza.

Only a player vote in midweek allowed the game to go ahead.

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and the players bowed their heads as the Israeli anthem was played before the match.

The teams skipped the traditional prematch handshakes and did not exchange pennants either in a near-empty stadium in Debrecen.

Troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes, while Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in.

Ireland won the game 3-0 but Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused them of being “on the wrong side of history” over the players’ actions.

In Oslo, Joao Felix gave Portugal a 17th-minute lead as an unusually profligate Erling Haaland squandered a succession of chances.

He did eventually equalize for the hosts six minutes into the second half, but almost immediately, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland gifted Ramos a simple finish for the winner.

“The most important thing is to show what I can do whenever I’m called upon and to contribute to the team,” Ramos told Sport TV, without being drawn on his selection ahead of Ronaldo.

Meerdink brace gives Xavi win

The Netherlands gave Xavi Hernandez his first win as head coach as Mexx Meerdink’s brace earned a 2-1 success over Serbia in Belgrade.

The Oranje turned to Barcelona great Xavi after a disappointing World Cup last-32 exit at the hands of Morocco.

But Xavi’s men forged ahead on the half-hour mark as AZ Alkmaar striker Meerdink drilled in a penalty to score his first international goal after Aleksa Terzic fouled Crysencio Summerville.

Half-time substitute Luka Jovic turned in the equalizer following a goalmouth scramble less than a minute after the restart.

But the visitors reclaimed the lead in the 69th minute as Meerdink, who made his Netherlands debut against Germany, fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner after being played in by substitute Guus Til.

Denmark bounced back from Thursday’s dramatic loss to Norway by seeing off Wales 2-0 in Copenhagen in Group A4.

The Scandinavians, who missed out on the World Cup with a penalty shoot-out defeat by the Czech Republic in the play-offs, have now won their last four meetings with Wales.

They went ahead eight minutes into the second period when Wales skipper Ben Davies diverted Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick into his own net with his arm.

Denmark doubled their advantage 13 minutes later when Gustav Isaksen’s deflected shot spun in off the crossbar.

In League B, Austria made it two wins from two as David Affengruber, Junior Adamu and Carney Chukwuemeka scored in a 3-1 win over Kosovo in Vienna.

China’s 18-year-old Yan Ziyi shattered the Asian Games record to win javelin gold, showcasing her rare talent on a day marked by a medalist’s failed doping test and a decorated badminton player calling the event “sad.”

Day eight saw golds awarded in athletics, diving, skateboarding, squash and weightlifting.

On another wet day in Aichi-Nagoya, Yan dominated the women’s javelin with her first and only throw of 70.46 meters.

The throw set a new Games record, surpassing the 66.09-meter mark by compatriot Liu Shiying in 2018 and placing Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi in a distant second with 62.70 meters.

Yan’s remarkable throw was the sixth-best of all time. The world record of 72.28 meters was set by Barbora Spotakova in 2008.

Yan is closing in. She hurled 71.74 meters in May, the second-best throw of all time.

On the track, Thailand’s Puripol Boonson completed a sprint double, winning the men’s 200-meter after his 100-meter victory.

His time of 19.88 seconds equaled the Asian record.

Asked how much faster he can run, the 20-year-old said: “I can’t say how fast it’s going to be, but it’s going to be more records and faster.”

By the end of day eight, China topped the medals table with 119 golds, followed by Japan with 37 and South Korea with 20.

North Korea had more record-setting success in weightlifting, bringing its total to six golds out of 10 available in the sport so far.

China maintained its unbeaten start in diving, while two teenagers won gold in the street skateboarding finals.

China’s Zhu Yuanling, 15, won the women’s event, and South Korea’s Juni Kang, 17, won the men’s title.

Kang aims for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“I want to be No. 1 in LA,” he said.

Malaysia dominated the squash, with Ng Eain Yow winning the men’s event and compatriot Sivasangari Subramaniam winning the women’s singles.

Both secured spots at the Los Angeles Games.

‘Disappointing experience’

To save money, organizers in Aichi-Nagoya did not build a traditional athletes’ village. Competitors instead stayed in hotels, temporary wooden units or on a cruise ship.

India’s multiple badminton medalist H.S. Prannoy said that made for a disappointing experience.

“It was sad,” said the 34-year-old, who won team bronze, in a YouTube video published by the Badminton Association of India.

The Games have experienced problems, including a shortage of rooms, long delays at the airport and poor transport services.

Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Shavkatov became the first medalist at the Games to test positive for doping.

Shavkatov, who won bronze in mixed martial arts, was provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, the International Testing Agency said.

The drug is a prescription heart medication that improves endurance and accelerates muscle recovery.

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner as the world champions capitalized on two costly England defensive errors to beat the hosts 3-2 at Wembley Saturday in the standout Nations League opener.

Less than 10 weeks after lifting the World Cup, Spain, unbeaten in 39 games, made England pay in scoring their first two goals.

Teen sensation Lamine Yamal struck in the second minute when Marc Guehi was ​caught in possession deep inside his own half. Alex Baena scored on the hour ​after ⁠Nico O’Reilly’s misplaced pass handed possession back to the visitors.

Oyarzabal, who also got the winner against England in the 2024 European Championship final, struck the decider in the 74th minute with a clever dink over goalkeeper James Trafford.

“There are many matches within a match and we’ve known how to play them all at every moment,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “England has a lot of talent to hurt at any moment, but we’ve controlled the game.”

Spain’s victory spoiled what had briefly looked like being a memorable England comeback – and a small measure of redemption after their heartbreaking World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina.

England had turned the game on its head in a thrilling four-minute span, with Anthony Gordon’s 36th-minute equalizer sparking a blistering spell that culminated in captain Harry Kane heading the hosts in front.

“We’re playing against the world champions, the European champions, and we went ⁠toe-to-toe,” ⁠Kane told ITV. “On another day for sure we’d have won that game.”

Kane was left shaking his head though after firing a second-half penalty off the inside of the crossbar when his left foot slipped upon planting.

“Terrible start, the worst start possible,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said. “Makes it so, so difficult to be behind against this kind of team. The reaction was very good, very good.”

“The third goal was the only one they really scored – the others were from individual, big mistakes,” he added.

England and Spain had arrived at Wembley with very different World Cup memories.The Spaniards looked to build on their triumph, while Tuchel’s men were still feeling the scars of defeat and aiming to show they could narrow the gap.

Evergreen Modric

In Saturday’s other Group A3 game, Croatia gave new manager Slaven Bilic a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic as evergreen captain Luka Modric once again proved influential before Marco Pasalic struck the decisive goal.

The 41-year-old Modric, still the heartbeat of the Croatia side more than two ​decades after his international debut, put the visitors ahead two minutes after the break.

The Czechs responded through Adam Karabec in the ​54th minute but Pasalic restored Croatia’s advantage with 13 minutes remaining to secure all three points.

The game marked a new start for both sides.

Bilic is back in charge of Croatia after Zlatko Dalic’s departure following their Round-of-32 World ⁠Cup defeat by ‌Portugal, while Spaniard ‌Santi Denia was appointed the Czechs’ boss after their group-stage exit.

Scotland began life under ⁠Sebastien Pocognoli with a 0-0 draw away to Slovenia in Group B1, offering ‌glimpses of the more attacking style the Belgian hopes to implement following manager Steve Clarke’s departure after Scotland’s World Cup exit.

Oli McBurnie, back in theScotland fold ​after a five-year absence, had some of ⁠the best chances but a string of brilliant saves from Jan Oblak had the Scots ⁠settling for a point.

Switzerland made an impressive start to their first League B campaign, with Remo Freuler opening the scoring and ⁠Zeki Amdouni netting the first ​of his two goals before halftime en route to a 3-0 win away to North Macedonia.

Finland’s Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat trick to help his country to a 7-0 thrashing of San Marino in Group C1.

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