The Turkish Football Federation has moved to dismiss 94 referees and other officials in response to the failed military coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to widespread reports.The Federation have released an official statement which reads: "Our federation deemed it necessary to dismiss 94 people, including regional and nationally-ranked referees and assistant referees, regional refereeing committee members and national and regional observers." No further information was given, although The Times of India has suggested that at least one Super Lig official has been included in the spate of dismissals.
All members of the Federation's affiliated committees were asked to resign last weekend, so that a 'security inspection' could be held and each of them profiled accordingly. The Turkish government have blamed US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for instigating the coup on 15 July, and are now in the process of identifying and detaining anyone with links to his Islamic political movement.An estimated 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs since the conclusion of the coup, while thousands have been arrested. With the crackdown looking set to continue for some time, it seems that almost every aspect of Turkish society will come under government scrutiny, including football.READ MORE: The LGBT Club Using Football as a Weapon Against Discrimination in Turkey