Published on 5 December 2022

SECOND SECTION

Application no. 35314/20 Serkan ÇINAR against Türkiye lodged on 12 August 2020 communicated on 15 November 2022

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE

The application concerns the independence and impartiality of the Arbitration Committee of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) which dismissed a claim brought by the applicant, a top-level football referee at the time. In the proceedings before the TFF the applicant challenged the decision of the Central Referee Committee of the TFF not to enlist him among the top-level referees eligible to referee matches for the football season of 2019-2020. On 8 August 2019 the Arbitration Committee dismissed his claim, and since that decision, the applicant has not been able to referee matches in the professional leagues.

Relying on the findings of the Court in the case of Ali Rıza and Others v. Turkey (nos. 30226/10 and 4 others, §§201-223, 28 January 2020), the applicant complains under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that his dispute was not decided by an independent and impartial tribunal.

QUESTION TO THE PARTIES

Did the proceedings in issue satisfy the requirements of independence and impartiality in accordance with Article 6 § 1 of the Convention (see Ali Rıza and Others , cited above, §§ 201-223)?