The Turkish referee at the center of a sex tape scandal has claimed the X-rated video was doctored using AI.

Elif Karaarslan, 24, was this week banned from officiating after a video allegedly showed her having sex with referee observer Orhan Erdemir, 61.

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Karaarslan, who played for Besiktas before having his career cut short by injuries, denied being in the video.

She said: “I will have a long road ahead legally, but I will overcome it 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’s not me.

“I will support my cause to the end. I am just one of the many injured. I hope I will be the last.”

His legal team claimed his alleged role in the video, which circulated online, was technologically fabricated.

Their statement claimed: “An edited video was posted to social media, created entirely using AI from someone else’s social media account.

“Considering this video montage, created with malicious and deliberate intentions, poses a threat to anyone facing similar charges in the future.”

Erdemir, meanwhile, confessed to being the man in the video.

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He said: “My honor within 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 was also suspended for life by the TFF, the Turkish Football Federation.

Karaarslan made his debut as an assistant referee in 2020.

Since then, she has taken charge of the country’s biggest clubs at the under-17 level.

And she’s also amassed a large following on social media, with 462,000 on Instagram.

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