The Turkish Football Federation confirmed on Tuesday that Anthony Taylor has been appointed chairman of its Central Referee Board. The appointment puts Taylor in place of Ferhat Gundogdu.
Federation confirms appointment
According to the Turkish Football Federation, Taylor has been appointed chairman of the Central Referee Board. He joined the Turkish Football Federation as Elite Referee Director during the summer, shortly after announcing his retirement from refereeing.
Career after retirement from refereeing
Taylor retired after a 22-year career spanning 831 matches. His final refereeing assignment was the round-of-16 affair between Portugal and Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Succeeding Gundogdu
As chairman of the Central Referee Board, Taylor will succeed Ferhat Gundogdu. Gundogdu was arrested, along with the vice-chairman and five others, for fraud in refereeing exams, intimidation, and the manipulation of referee appointments.
Wider scandal in Turkish football
Turkish football has been embroiled in a large-scale betting and match-fixing scandal since late 2025, when 149 officials were suspended. Since then, over 1,000 footballers have been suspended, 17 high-ranking club officials have been arrested, and 448 club officials have been referred to the federation’s disciplinary committee for placing bets whilst in office.