THE Turkish referee at the centre of a sex tape scandal has claimed that the X-rated video was faked using AI.
Elif Karaarslan, 24, was this week banned from officiating after a video was alleged to have shown her having sex with referees’ observer Orhan Erdemir, 61.
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Karaarslan, who played for Besiktas before having her career cut short by injuries, has denied being in the video.
She said: “I will have a long road ahead legally, but will overcome in the strongest and most robust way.
“I look forward to your full support and love in this process. Crying, screaming and being sad are not things I would do. That is not me.
“I will stand by my cause until the end. I am just one of many who are being harmed – I hope I am the last.”
Her legal team have claimed that her alleged role in the video, which has circulated online, has been fabricated by technology.
Their statement claimed: “A montaged video was published on social media, created entirely through AI from someone else’s social media account.
“Taking into consideration this montage video, created with malicious and deliberate intentions, poses a threat to anyone facing similar accusations in the future.”
Erdemir, meanwhile, has confessed to being the male in the video.
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He said: “My honour in my family, my social circle and the refereeing community has been blown away.
“In addition to my financial losses, the emotional damage I have suffered is indescribable.”
Like Karaarslan, Erdemir has also received a lifetime ban from the TFF, Turkey‘s FA.
Karaarslan debuted as an assistant referee back in 2020.
She has since gone on to take charge of the country’s biggest clubs at Under-17s level.
And she has also gathered a big social media following, with 462,000 on Instagram.
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