Turkish football association forced to pay compensation to sacked gay referee
A referee who was sacked by the Turkish FA will receive compensation.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), was ordered by an Istanbul court to pay 23,000 lira to Halil Ibrahim Dincdag.
The referee had his licence revoked for being gay, reports the Dogan news agency.
Dincdag’s lawyers had asked for 110,000 lira in the case.
According to reports, the TFF had ascertained that the referee was unfit to fulfill the role because he was exempt from military service.
He had been a referee in Trabzon, but was sacked in 2009 after he publicly came out as gay.
The country has got a strict policy on exemptions from military service. Those allowed exemption must be sick, disabled or gay.
The whole ordeal often proves humiliating for gay men either because they have to disclose their sexual orientation or hide it.
Previously, those who wish to be exempt on the basis of their sexual orientation had to make a public declaration, often leading to discrimination.
If they go into the draft, gay men usually have to hide their sexual orientation for a year of service.
