Doğan Babacan
Turkish association football referee
About Doğan Babacan
Lived 1930 – 2018 (aged 88). Doğan Babacan was a Turkish association football player and association football referee.
Doğan Babacan (30 November 1929 – 18 May 2018) was a Turkish football referee. He was the first Turkish referee to supervise a match in FIFA World Cup history.
Babacan was born in Istanbul. He played football for Beşiktaş JK, Karşıyaka S.K., Kasımpaşa S.K. and Hacettepe. His career as a referee began in 1955 and he was placed on FIFA's Referees List in 1968. He is known for supervising the first round Group 1 match between West Germany and Chile in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. In that match, Babacan sent off Chilean Carlos Caszely. It was the first red card in World Cup history. On 10 April 1974 he sent off three Atlético Madrid players in the first leg of the European Cup semi-final match against Celtic in Glasgow.
Later he was referee for the 1975 UEFA Super Cup final between FC Bayern Munich and FC Dynamo Kyiv. He retired from international refereeing in 1978.
He died on 18 May 2018, aged 88.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Doğan Babacan?
Turkish association football referee (1929–2018)
When was Doğan Babacan born?
Doğan Babacan was born on 5 April 1930 in Istanbul.
When did Doğan Babacan die?
Doğan Babacan died on 18 May 2018 in Istanbul.
What was Doğan Babacan's occupation?
Doğan Babacan was an association football player and association football referee.
What nationality was Doğan Babacan?
Doğan Babacan was Turkish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Doğan Babacan. https://biography.guide/dogan-babacan/
MLA: "Doğan Babacan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dogan-babacan/.
Chicago: "Doğan Babacan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dogan-babacan/.
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