.jpg?format=webp)
Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) Board Member Mevlüt Aktan resigned from his post on October 6, 2026, launching a sweeping critique of the governing body’s leadership and calling on the entire administration to step down. Aktan is the second board member to submit his resignation from the TFF administration following Mustafa Temel Bozbağ.
Aktan Demands Wholesale Resignation Citing Family Business Mentality
Active on the TFF board for two years as the member responsible for strategic planning and development, Aktan asserted that the federation can no longer operate under what he termed a family business mentality.
According to his social media announcement detailed by Haber 7, decisions within the governing body have been restricted to a narrow circle where differing views are sidelined and a single-minded authoritarian approach prevails. Aktan noted that for two years he opposed decisions within the board that he found to be wrong, striving to prevent actions that could harm Turkish football with a sense of balance and oversight responsibility, and that his reason for remaining in office was his belief that he could continue this struggle within the institution.
Aktan stated that the administration failed to deliver on any promises made to delegates at the general assembly. He pointed to persistent shortcomings in raising the brand value of Turkish football, strengthening its economic foundation, and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Internal efforts to drive structural reforms met no backing from leadership, leaving him unable to continue his oversight role from within. He emphasized that the federation’s entire units and personnel must be restructured based on merit, transparency, and accountability, and stated that his will to contribute to Turkish football will continue.
Calls for Merit, Transparency, and an End to Toxic Rhetoric
Beyond administrative reforms, Aktan emphasized that the overarching football climate in Turkey requires an immediate reset. He warned that tension-generating rhetoric, betting controversies, and unproven allegations of misconduct continually erode public trust and drive supporters away from stadiums. While acknowledging that illegal activities must be combated, Aktan criticized the premature public exposure of individuals through press leaks before judicial processes conclude, noting that such leaks harm clubs, career football workers, and ongoing legal investigations alike. He added that quality standards must be established ranging from player development to club management, and joint steps should be taken with relevant public institutions, remembering that football is a culture of enjoyment, entertainment, and living together.
The resignation follows a turbulent period for Turkish football governance, which includes a separate high-profile law enforcement investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Within the scope of the “Referees file” investigation conducted by the teams of the Istanbul Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Bureau of Illegal Betting and Sports Crimes, it was determined that certain suspects faced allegations concerning the offenses of torment
and forgery of official documents.
As a result of open-source research, MASAK and HTS studies, complainant and witness statements, and expert findings within the scope of the file, it was evaluated that MHK Chairman Ferhat Gündoğdu and certain MHK members, referees, and match observers could be connected to the crime. Consequently, operations were organized targeting addresses determined in Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ, and Manisa, during which Ferhat Gündoğdu, Association of Turkish Active Football Referees President Ferdi Karadoruk, former TFF Central Arbitration Board Deputy Chairman Ahmet Şahin, former TFF Central Arbitration Board Member Yunus Yıldırım, TFF Education and 4th Region Official Sebahattin Şahin, Association of Turkish Active Football Referees and Observers Istanbul Branch Organization Official Alican Sağlar, and Association of Turkish Active Football Referees and Observers Istanbul Provincial Referee Committee Chairman Emre Kosif were detained.
Path Forward and Calls for an Extraordinary Congress
Characterizing the incumbent administration as entirely dysfunctional, Aktan urged all board members who harbor genuine concern for the future of Turkish football—and who hold no personal career expectations—to tender their resignations immediately.
Worth a look
