By 12 October 2026 the TFF had named no new or acting head of its Central Referee Committee: its referee news shows only Ferhat Gündoğdu's resignation on 4 October with no successor, followed by match appointments, which a resignation without a named successor resolves NO.
History. 2 of 4 cases, after 8 and 6 days. In Italy it took 14 months; in Poland the state stepped in and was reversed.
Hunch. Gündoğdu is now held in custody before trial, and the Süper Lig needs referees for its matches from 9 October (Al Jazeera, 3 Oct 2026; TFF fixtures).
Checked on 13 October 2026 at 10:00 on the TFF website (referee committee news and TFF news). YES if the TFF officially named a new head of its Central Referee Committee, or an acting or interim head, with a decision dated on or before 12 October 2026. Press reports alone, a resignation without a named successor, or a panel with no named head resolve NO. Al Jazeera is the backup.
We looked for cases where police or prosecutors opened a criminal case against serving leaders of a football federation over how it picks, ranks or tests its referees. We found four, all in Europe, from 2004 to 2020. In all four, the people accused or the federation's leaders were removed or quit within two weeks, though in Poland the board came back. A new or acting head of referees was named in two, within eight days.