Chief of Turkish Referee Committee resigns

The chairman overseeing the Turkish Central Referee Committee has resigned due to corruption allegations.

The chairman of the Turkish Central Referee Committee (MHK) Yusuf Namoglu resigned on Tuesday after several matches saw questionable referee performances that stirred controversy in Turkish football.

In his statement to broadcaster TRT Spor, he said that he had decided to resign to not “harm the good work of the past.”

“I believe we have been honest and fair in what we did. I will make a statement after my formal resignation is complete,” he said.

The 72-year-old former referee had been in charge of the organization since 2011.

The new Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was supposed to eradicate speculation about controversial on-field decisions but it has had the opposite effect, causing even further dismay among Turkish football fans, pundits and coaches alike.

Despite the technology, the MHK has not managed to convince fans or the media that the sport is free of corrupt refereeing and the errors made are not deliberate.

Namoglu previously tried to relieve the pressure by punishing referees and replacing people in the administration to no avail.

This is another set back for Turkish football after yet another season marred by allegations of match-fixing and questionable refereeing.