Turkey’s football federation (TFF) has discovered hundreds of its referees are actively betting on football.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu revealed a federation investigation, based on data from state institutions, uncovered that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey’s professional leagues had betting accounts and 152 of them were actively betting.
In a press conference in Istanbul, Haciosmanoglu said: “As a federation, we started by cleaning up our own backyard.
“Among those found to have betting accounts were seven top-level referees, 15 top-level assistants, 36 classified referees, and 94 classified assistants.”
Some referees had placed an incredible number of wagers, with one individual betting 18,227 times and 42 referees had bet on more than 1,000 football matches each. Some were found to have placed bets on just one occasion.
The president confirmed the federation’s disciplinary board will begin taking action immediately, with those in violation facing the necessary penalties in accordance with the TFF’s regulations.
Under Article 57 of the TFF’s disciplinary code, anyone found guilty of betting on football matches face bans of anywhere from three months to a year from officiating or football-related activities.
Additionally, Article 27 of the FIFA Code of Ethics states that referees found to have placed bets could face a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (£94,246) and a ban of up to three years from football.
Some of Turkey’s top clubs responded to the news, with Besiktas saying the findings “could mark a new beginning for clean football” while Trabzonspor called the development “a historic opportunity to rebuild justice in Turkish football.”
Betting is strictly prohibited for match officials, players and coaches under TFF, UEFA and FIFA regulations.
The TFF is expected to present a plan for a fundamental refereeing update in the coming weeks, introducing a special “code of ethics” for young referees to develop a strict mechanism for internal control over gambling.
Many Turkish football fans began to sense that something was off in February when the Super Lig derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce did not feature experienced Dutch referee Danny McKelly.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
