ANKARA, Turkey — A former soccer referee has won a court case against Turkey’s football federation which he has accused of outing him as a homosexual and stripping him of his license to referee games because of his sexual orientation.

State-run Anadolu Agency says a court on Tuesday ordered the federation to pay Halil Ibrahim Dincdag 23,000 lira (US$8,000) in compensation.

Dincdag said he would appeal the amount of compensation set by the court, but nevertheless welcomed the ruling as a victory for gay rights in Turkey and for efforts to combat homophobia in sports.

Dincdag said he would apply to be reinstated to the position of second-league referee he was sacked from in 2009.

The federation had insisted Dincdag was removed as referee for “shortcomings” in his performance.

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