MHK President Ferhat Gündoğdu’s police statement covers referee classifications, VETAS, and exam allegations

Details have emerged from the statement given to the police by Central Referee Board (MHK) President Ferhat Gündoğdu, who was detained as part of the investigation coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Bureau of Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes, known publicly as the “referees file.”

In the 51-page statement taken by teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Financial Crimes Branch, Gündoğdu was questioned about changes in referee and observer classifications, the exclusion of certain names from lists, the VETAS system, pre-match meetings with referees, observer reports, examination processes, and certain correspondence.

Gündoğdu denied all allegations against him. Stating that he did not act out of personal animosity or a desire for revenge, Gündoğdu argued that classification and assignment decisions were made collectively by the MHK and passed through the approval of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) management.

CLASSIFICATION DECISIONS AND EXCLUDED REFEREES

In the statement, Gündoğdu was asked about the changes made to referee and observer classifications on March 8, 2022, while the season was still ongoing. Regarding the removal of a large number of referees and observers from their classifications, Gündoğdu said that the decisions were implemented following demands from the public and clubs, with the will of the TFF Board of Directors and after receiving evaluations from legal units.

The investigation file also included the re-exclusion in 2024 of some referees who had returned to duty in 2022 following a decision by the Arbitration Board. In questions directed at Gündoğdu based on accounts regarding names such as Burak Şeker, Abdulkadir Bitigen, Alpaslan Dedeş, Hüseyin Göçek, Mert Güzenge, Murat Erdoğan, Alper Ulusoy, Bahattin Şimşek, İsmail Şencan, Koray Gençerler, and Mesut Çarık, it was raised whether the same pattern was present.

Gündoğdu stated that the decisions were not directed at individuals but were made within the framework of performance, needs, and board evaluations. He made a similar defense regarding the publication of a second list after the first classification list for the 2024-2025 season and the subsequent removal of some referees and observers. The accounts in the file alleged that 13 referees and 6 observers were subsequently removed from the list.

Some witness statements included the allegation that referees and observers who had officiated certain Trabzonspor matches in past years were excluded in the same classification changes years later. Gündoğdu did not accept this assessment as a targeted purge; he stated that the decisions were explained by performance and board criteria.

VETAS, REFEREE MEETINGS, AND REPORT ALLEGATIONS

The referee assignment system VETAS was also brought up in the statement. Some statements alleged that while the system appeared to make automatic assignments, the MHK management could change referees through manual interventions and remove them from the “stage.” Gündoğdu denied the claim that VETAS was not a mandatory system in the regulations, that it was developed during their term, and that referees were arbitrarily sidelined.

Gündoğdu admitted to calling some referees before matches during his tenure. He said he made these calls to boost morale and to learn if there was any important agenda. In the case of Ümit Öztürk, he stated that a club had conveyed to him their discomfort regarding the referee being specifically assigned.

The file also reflected that more than one witness said Gündoğdu spoke about knowing who the referees were meeting with or that HTS records could be accessed. Gündoğdu stated that he used these words in a different context; he noted that he was reminding them that in case of a complaint, HTS records could fall into the hands of judicial authorities to prevent internal institutional information from being leaked to the press. He argued that this was not a threat, but a warning aimed at protecting the referees' careers.

It was reported that VAR referee Abdullah Buğra Taşkınsoy explained that after a VAR intervention in the Gençlerbirliği-İstanbulspor match, he and his team were told, “you will not officiate matches until further notice,” and that he could not take on duties for approximately 70 days. Gündoğdu, on the other hand, stated that it is normal for referees to be kept “off-stage” for a long time due to serious errors and that this cannot be considered mobbing.

FIFA VAR referee Mustafa İlker Coşkun’s account regarding the reduction of his duties was also asked to Gündoğdu. While it was stated that Coşkun alleged he was removed from European matches and important assignments, Gündoğdu said that UEFA assignments were not within his authority, that Coşkun’s REPU evaluations were weak, and that he left refereeing of his own volition.

Regarding allegations that observer reports and referee grades were tampered with, Gündoğdu admitted that when there was a discrepancy between the REPU evaluation and the observer report, the MHK could ask the observer to re-evaluate their report. However, he argued that this was in the nature of internal procedural auditing and that the observer was free to change the report or not.

Statements that exam questions were given to some referees in advance, that exam papers were tampered with, and that different scores were entered into the system were also included in the statement. Gündoğdu said he did not personally witness these processes and that the exams were conducted by the education unit.

The allegation that there were instructions regarding exam questions in WhatsApp correspondence belonging to Ferdi Karadoruk was also asked. Gündoğdu stated that the TFFHGD (Turkish Football Referees and Observers Association) was not authorized in referee exams and that he had no knowledge of the correspondence in question. Denying the forgery allegation regarding Ali Tuna’s 2017 exam documents, Gündoğdu argued that no forgery was committed on the documents.

News Source: 12punto