Turmoil within Turkish arbitration. Turkish referee Elif Karaarslan, 24, and referee observer Orhan Erdemir, 61, have been banned for life by the Turkish Football Federation for alleged sexual relations.
The federation relied on a sex tape of their antics to pronounce this sanction. But the former player, converted into a referee after an injury, denies being the person present in the video and intends to appeal the sanction. Elif Karaarslan also denounced the “nepotism” of Turkish football leaders, in a long message posted on his social networks. “I will have a long road ahead legally, but I will overcome this in the strongest and most robust way,” she added.
Orhan Erdemir admitted that his career was now over. “My honor in my family, my social circle and the refereeing community has been swept away. In addition to my financial losses, the emotional damage I suffered is indescribable,” he lamented.
