Gündoğdu was among seven officials who appeared before a judge at Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse on Friday. According to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu, the court ordered five of the seven suspects to be detained pending trial, while two others were granted conditional release.
Officials face multiple allegations
The investigation centres on allegations concerning the administration of referees in Turkish football.
Prosecutors are examining claims of interference in referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments, as well as examinations on the laws of the game, according to Justice Minister Akın Gürlek.
The suspects are facing allegations including forgery of official documents, breach of trust and the unlawful acquisition of personal data. The allegations remain subject to the ongoing judicial process.
Seven officials investigated
Among those detained earlier in the investigation were Gündoğdu, TFF Active Referees Association president Ferdi Karadoruk, former Central Referees Committee deputy chairman Ahmet Şahin and former committee member Yunus Yıldırım.
The other suspects include TFF Education and Fourth Regional Officer Sebahattin Şahin, TFF Referees and Observers Association Istanbul branch official Alican Sağlar and Emre Kosif, chairman of the association’s Istanbul provincial refereeing committee.
Police also searched the video assistant referee (VAR) room at the Turkish Football Federation’s headquarters in Istanbul during raids earlier in the week.
Comes amid wider Turkish football investigations
The case comes as Turkish football faces a separate investigation into betting.
The Turkish Football Federation recently provisionally suspended 448 current and former club officials after determining that they had placed bets while serving in club positions. Reuters reported that those officials have been referred to the federation’s disciplinary committee.
Last year, the TFF also suspended 149 referees in connection with an illegal betting investigation. However, Turkish Justice Minister Gürlek has not established a direct link between that case and the current investigation into the refereeing administration.
TFF yet to directly address latest arrests
The Turkish Football Federation had not directly addressed the latest court decision at the time of the Al Jazeera report.
The development came shortly after Turkey’s national team suffered a 3-0 defeat to Belgium in the UEFA Nations League in Liège on Friday. TFF officials were expected to return to Turkey on Saturday.
The judicial proceedings will determine the next steps in the investigation, while the allegations against the officials remain unproven.