Female referee suspended for allegedly appearing in a sexually explicit video.
The judge has denounced that the images in the video in which she is supposedly with referee inspector Orhan Erdemir are fake.
Elif Karaarslan, 24, who began refereeing in Turkey after an injury kept her away from football, has been banned for life after being linked to a video that allegedly showed her having relations with Orhan Erdemir, 61, an observer referee. The Turkish Football Federation has taken the decision to ban both for life.
Despite the accusations, the young woman has flatly denied being the person involved in the video in question.
Elif Karaarslan was born in Istanbul on July 9, 2000, and since she was a child she was interested in football, so she began playing for the local team Libade Sports Club.
She then began her professional career with teams such as Bakirkoy Genclikspor and Besiktas. However, a cruciate ligament injury kept her off the pitch at the age of 16.
She therefore continued in the sport but now as an assistant referee, making her debut in 2020. Throughout her career as a referee, she was present at Under 17 games of Turkey's professional clubs.
On the other hand, Erdemir, a former FIFA referee between 1999 and 2002, has admitted that the video has been disseminated without his consent, although he acknowledges that his career has come to an end.
In his own words, his reputation both within the family and in the refereeing community has been severely damaged: “In addition to the financial consequences, the emotional damage I have suffered is incalculable.”