Former Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has been appointed as the Turkish Football Federation’s new director of elite refereeing following his retirement from officiating.
The 47-year-old, who ended his 20-year refereeing career last month, will oversee the development and management of elite match officials in Turkey.
Taylor expressed his enthusiasm after taking up the position.
“I am delighted to be joining the Turkish Football Federation and look forward to the opportunity ahead,” he said.
Anthony Taylor appointed Turkish refereeing chief
His appointment comes less than a year after Turkish football was rocked by a major investigation into match officials. A five-year probe found that 371 of 571 referees had betting accounts, prompting the Turkish Football Federation to launch reforms aimed at restoring confidence in officiating.
At the time, TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said: “If we want to bring Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up whatever dirt there is.”
Taylor retired from refereeing after overseeing Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the World Cup round of 16 on 6 July.
During his career, he officiated 668 professional domestic matches and took charge of fixtures at Euro 2020 as well as the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
His appointment is expected to play a key role in the Turkish federation’s efforts to strengthen refereeing standards and rebuild trust in the country’s officiating system following last year’s controversy.