Referee Asen Albayrak made history in the 26th week of the Süper Lig by becoming the first woman in 22 years to officiate a match as the main referee in Türkiye’s top professional football division.
Albayrak took charge of the encounter between Göztepe and Alanyaspor at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in the western province of İzmir.
The appointment was made by the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) Central Referee Committee. Albayrak was assisted by Samet Çiçek and Murat Şener during the match, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Her appearance marked the first time since May 8, 2004, that a woman served as the central referee in a top-tier Turkish professional match, when Lale Orta last performed the role.
During the match, Albayrak awarded a fourth-minute penalty to Göztepe following a video assistant referee (VAR) review and issued six yellow cards, three to each side.
The referee has been active across several Turkish competitions this season, officiating eight matches in the TFF Second League, three each in the TFF First League and the Turkish Cup, as well as appearances in both the Süper Lig and the TFF Third League.
