The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced last week it had suspended 149 head and assistant referees for their roles in a betting scandal.
According to the federation, all of the individuals who were charged participated in or were linked to illegal sports gambling.
Key Takeaways
- One referee bet on about 10 soccer matches per day for five straight years.
- One in four active referees were found to have betting accounts.
- The TFF plans to introduce a financial monitoring system for referees moving forward.
The announcement did not explicitly accuse the officials of engaging in match-fixing, or deliberately altering a game’s final result. However, the details did not paint them in a positive light.
“The reputation of Turkish soccer is built on the sanctity of the effort on the field and the unwavering integrity of justice,” federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu said in a statement. “Any act that betrays these values is not merely a violation of the rules, but a breach of trust.
“Recent investigations have revealed that some referees were involved in betting activities in a manner completely incompatible with the spirit of football. This is not merely a violation – it is an abuse that wounds consciences and poisons justice.”
The officials who were charged will receive sanctions from eight to 12 months. Another three referees are still under investigation.
According to Hacıosmanoğlu, 10 refs placed wagers on more than 10,000 matches each during a five-year period, while 42 bet on more than 1,000. One of them allegedly bet on 18,227 games, about 10 wagers daily, while several only illegally bet on one game.
Earlier this year, former Fenerbahçe head coach, Jose Mourinho, criticized the standard of refereeing while he was in charge of the Turkish giants. The Portuguese called refereeing in the country a scandal and threatened to boycott the Turkish Cup.
"I never saw anything like this before, it's a scandal" 💬
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 6, 2025
Jose Mourinho has launched a scathing attack on referees in Turkey with Fenerbahce considering boycotting the Turkish Cup in protest 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/YXoeaRVVzf
More than 1 in 4 refs were betting
While the federation’s leader said that integrity is a priority, more than one-quarter of its active referees did not act accordingly.
Hacıosmanoğlu revealed last Monday that 371 of 571 active match officials had at least one account with betting operators. Of them, 152 bet on soccer (football), including seven head referees and 15 assistant refs from the nation’s highest level of the sport (Süper Lig).
The TFF also said that several referees bet on matches they were in charge of. If the charges are upgraded from illegal gambling to match-fixing, Turkish law dictates they could face prison sentences of 1.5-4.5 years and a lifetime ban from soccer.
Habertürk, a Turkish news and broadcast company, also reported that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting investigations into players and clubs. According to their information, about 3,700 players are subjects of interest.
TFF, FIFA, and UEFA rules explicitly forbid anyone directly involved in matches from gambling.
Plans for the future
The TFF already announced its plans to crack down on illegal gambling by referees by introducing a financial monitoring system and issuing lifetime bans to individuals who are found guilty.
Turkish sports lawyer Mert Yaşar said that, despite public outcry, it’s impossible to replay past matches and to refund losing wagers from games of suspected involvement.
New referees will be appointed for the rest of the season, which is about 25 percent over.
