TFF sex scandal! Female referee had an affair with male observer.

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An embarrassing incident occurred in Turkish football. A 61-year-old male observer, O. E., had a sexual relationship with a 24-year-old female referee, E. K. When the footage of this relationship surfaced, the situation became chaotic.

The Appeals Board unanimously approved the lifetime bans imposed by the disciplinary boards on male observer O. E. and female referee E. K. According to a report by Atilla Türker from Ajansspor, the Appeals Board evaluated the written defenses of the male observer and the female referee and also watched the pornographic video in question. The 7-member Appeals Board identified extremely important details in the footage they watched. The Appeals Board also considered the male observer O. E.'s confession in his written defense as a crucial factor.

This decision by the Appeals Board was announced on the official website of the Turkish Football Federation yesterday. Following the emergence of these images and events, which caused a significant uproar in the community last year, the Appeals Board has put an end to the matter. It is worth noting that the Appeals Board is the highest legal body of the Turkish Football Federation under the law, and its decisions are final.

CONFESSED BY MAKING A STATEMENT

Observer O. E., after receiving a lifetime ban from the Professional Football Disciplinary Board, stated in his written defense to the Appeals Board, "As far as I know, there is no provision in the MHK regulations that prevents referees from having romantic relationships with each other. When such a situation arises, there is no penal sanction according to the regulations. Moreover, it is well known that many romantic relationships in the football referee community have resulted in marriage. I do not want to think and believe that having a romantic relationship with anyone from the football referee community is considered a disgraceful behavior for the football community."

During that period, O. E., who was the President of the Istanbul Provincial Referee Board and married, stated that the existing footage was shared without his permission and consent. The 61-year-old O. E. expressed, "My refereeing and observing career, which I have proudly and honorably maintained for over 30 years without a single blemish, has been turned upside down due to the sharing made by the relevant person. My reputation in the eyes of my family, social circle, and the referee community has been destroyed. Aside from the material damage I have suffered, I am in a psychological state where I cannot express the moral damage I have endured in words. I would like to reiterate to your esteemed Federation that I have resorted to legal means regarding all these damages."

"I REPORTED TO THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE"

Observer O. E. also stated that he reported referee E. K. to the Public Prosecutor's Office based on a post made on the Instagram account named "e." on February 23, 2024.

Stating that he had no intention or behavior in the emergence of the incident and footage in question, Observer O. E. also mentioned in the letter he sent to the Legal Consultancy of the Football Federation, "The person who disseminated and shared this post from their social media account is Referee E. K. Given that it is clear and evident who owns the account, and considering that I have not received the slightest disciplinary penalty in my refereeing and observing history, which I have proudly and honorably maintained for over 30 years, I request and demand that the necessary actions be taken for me to immediately return to my observing career, which I continue with the same enthusiasm and desire as on the first day."

FEMALE REFEREE IS 24 YEARS OLD

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old female referee E. K. stated in her defense sent to the Football Federation Appeals Board during this process, "The video that is claimed to belong to me but has nothing to do with me (which is of poor quality and the person in the video is not me, and in such a serious accusation, concerning a woman's honor) and the video that is attempted to be attributed to me, although it is claimed to have been shared on the 'E.' account on February 23, 2024, has not been shared through any social media that belongs to me in any way."

Referee E. K. expressed that the video had "Barış Reus" written on it and that the relevant video was shared through a Russian-based "mail.ru" account, stating, "These accounts are managed by 15-16-year-old children, and the video has been served as if it was shared by me. The purpose of presenting the sharing as if it was made by me is to prevent their actions, which constitute a crime, from being considered criminal by making it seem as if I shared it on my own account in case I file a complaint against them. The mentioned individuals have been penalized for sharing fake images and defrauding people on other platforms and are currently in prison. Since the account seen in the video has no relation to me, and no effective investigation has been conducted regarding the matter, no examination has been carried out either.

COMPLAINTS FLOODED TO TFF

During the process, it was claimed that observer O. E., who was also the President of the Istanbul Provincial Referee Board, provided significant support for referee E. K. to rise and officiate in many matches. It was also determined that various complaints were submitted to the federation regarding this situation, which caused great discomfort in the community. In the previous season's match between Galatasaray and Trabzonspor, O. E. served as an observer.

THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS HAVE ENDED

The Turkish Football Federation's Arbitration Committee unanimously approved the decision of the Professional Football Discipline Committee to impose a 45-day ban on the Super League Observer O. E. yesterday.

Similarly, the 90-day ban imposed on E. K., who is an Istanbul Provincial Referee, by the Amateur Football Discipline Committee was also approved by the Arbitration Committee yesterday.

According to Article 40(b) of the Central Referee Committee's regulations, referees, observers, mentors, and educators who are penalized by the Discipline Committees for more than 45 days at once and a total of more than 90 days for any reason, and whose penalty decisions have become final, will have their licenses revoked without the need for any further decision. Therefore, O. E.'s career as an observer and E. K.'s career as a referee have come to an end.