Orhan Erdemir

Orhan Erdemir — Biography

Orhan Erdemir was born on June 29, 1963, in Istanbul. After two seasons as a professional goalkeeper, he turned to refereeing in 1985. Over 12 seasons between 1994 and 2005, he officiated 136 matches in the Turkish Süper Lig, including the first leg of the 1997-98 Turkish Cup final between Beşiktaş and Galatasaray on March 25, 1998, which ended 1-1.

Listed among FIFA's international referees from 1999 to 2002, Erdemir took charge of numerous continental fixtures, including UEFA Cup, Champions League qualifying and European Championship qualifying matches, and he also officiated a group-stage game and a round-of-16 match at the 2001 U-20 World Cup in Argentina. After stepping away from active refereeing, he continued working as a referee observer and was repeatedly given assignments by UEFA on behalf of the Turkish Football Federation between 2019 and 2022.

In October 2024, following the leak of inappropriate footage allegedly involving him and assistant referee Elif Karaarslan, Erdemir was banned for life from refereeing duties by the Turkish Football Federation.